The 

JAMES  A.  THOMAS 

COLLECTION 


DUKE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

DURHAM,  N.  C. 


Date 


(MM)^j^ij^30 


')■'  ^  > .  :; .' 


.J 


,,  ij^a^" 


/ 


). 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA, 


CONTAINING 

DESCRIPTIONS,  OBSERVATIONS,  AND  COMPARISONS, 
MADE    AND    COLLECTED 

IJJ    THI    COURSE    OF    A    SHORT    RESIDENCE    AT    THE 

IMPERIAL  PALACE 

OF  rUEN-MIN-rUEN, 

AND    ON 

A  SUBSEQUENT  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  COUNTRY, 

FROM 

PEKIN  TO  CANTON: 

IN    WHICH     IT    IS    ATTEMPTED    TO    APPRECIATE    THE    RANK    THAT 

THIS  EXTRAORDINARY    EMPIRE   MAY  BE   CONSIDERED   TO 

HOLD   IN  THE  SCALE    OF  CIVILIZED   NATIONS. 


Non  culvis  honiini  contingit  adire  Corinthum." 
It  is  the  lot  of  Jevj  to  go  to  Pekin. 


BY  JOHN  BARROW,  Esq. 

LATE    PRIVATE  SECRETARY  TO    THE   EARL  OF  MACARTNEY,    AND  OMS 

or  HIS  SVITE  AS  AMBASSADOR  FROM  THE  KING  OF  GREAT 

BRITAIN,    TO   THE  EMPEROR  OF  CHINA. 


THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  EDITION. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PRINTED  AND  SOLD  BY  W.  F.  M'LAUGHLIN, 

NO.  28,   :;oRTH  second-street. 

1805. 


€^^  CONTENTS. 


CHAP.     I. 


PEELIMIJVJRY  MATTER. 

INTRODUCTION.— General  View  of  what  Travellers  are  likely 
to  meet  with  in  China. — Mistaken  Notions  entertained  with  re- 
gard to  the  British  Embassy — Corrected  by  the  Reception  and 
Treatment  of  the  subsequent  Dutch  Embassy. — Supposed  Points 
of  Failure  in  the  former,  as  stated  by  a  French  Missionary  from 
Pekin,  refuted. — Kien  Long's  Letter  to  the  King  of  Holland. — 
Difference  of  Treatment  experienced,  by  the  two  Embassies  ex- 
plained.— Intrigues  of  Missionaries  in  Foreign  Countries. — Pride 
and  Self-importance  of  the  Chinese  Court. — List  of  European 
Embassies,  and  the  Time  of  their  Abode  in  Pekin. — Conclusion 
of  Preliminary  Subject.  .....  i-acs.  1 

CHAP.  n. 

OCCURRENCES  AND  OBSERVATIONS  IN  THE  NAVIGATION 
OF  THE  YELLOW  SEA,  AND  THE  PASSAGE  UP  THE  PEI- 
HO,  OR  WHITE  RIVER. 

Different  Testimonies  that  have  been  given  of  the  Chinese  Charac- 
ter.— Comparison  of  China  with  Europe  in  the  sixteenth  Century. 
— Motives  of  the  Missionaries  in  their  Writings. — British  Em- 
bassy passes  the  Straits  of  Formosa. — Appearance  of  a  Ta-fung. 
— Chusan  Islands. — Instance  of  Chinese  Amplification. — Various 
Chinese  Vessels  — System  of  their  Navigation — their  Compass, 
probably  of  Scythian  Origin — Foreign  Voyages  of. — Traces  of 
Chinese  in  America — in  an  Island  of  tlie  Tartarian  Sea. — in  the 
Persian  Gulf — traded  probably  as  far  as  Madagascar. — Commerce 


172743 


4  CONTENTS. 

of  the  Tyrians. — Reasons  for  conjecturing  that  the  Hottentots  may 
have  derived  theirOrigin  from  China.— .Malays  of  the  same  descent 
as  the  Chinese. — Curious  coincidences  in  the  Customs  of  these 
and  the  Sumatrans. — Cingalese  of  Chinese  Origin. — One  of  the 
Brigs  dispatched  to  Chu-san  for  Pilots. — Rapid  Currents  among 
the  Islands. — Visit  to  the  Governor. — Difficulties  iu  procuring 
Pilots-. — Arbitrary  Proceeding  of  the  Governor. — Pilots  puzzled 
ivith  our  Compass — Ignorance  of — Arrive  in  the  Gulf  of  Pe-tche- 
lee. — \^isit  of  two  Officers  from  Court,  and  their  Present — enter 
the  Pei-ho,  and  embark  in  convenient  Yachts — Accommodating 
Conduct  of  the  two  Officers. — Profusion  of  Provisions. — Appear- 
ance of  the  Country — cf  the  People. — Dress  of  the  Women. — 
Remarks  on  their  small  Feet — Chinese  an  uncleanly  and  frowzy 
People. — Immense  Crowds  of  People  and  River  Craft  at  Tien-Sing. 
— Decent  and  preposessing  Conduct  of  the  Multitude. — Musical 
Air  sung  by  the  Rowers  of  the  Yachts. — Favourable  Traits  in  the 
Chinese  Character. — Fape  and  Products  of  the  Country. — Multi- 
tudes of  People  Inhabitants  of  the  Water. — Another  Instance  of 
Arbitrary  Power. — Disembark  at  Tong  Tchoo,  and  are  lodged  in 
» Temple.         -  -  -  _         .         -         -         pace  17 

CHAP.    III. 

JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  CAPITAL  TO  A  COUNTRY  VILLA 
OF  THE  EMPEROR. RETURN  TO  PEKIN. THE  IMPE- 
RIAL PALACE  AND  GARDENS  OF  YUEN-MIN-YUEN,  AND 
THE  PARKS  OF  GEHOL. 

Order  of  Procession  from  Tong-choo  to  the  Capital. — Crowd  assem- 
bled on  the  Occasion. — Appearance  of  Pekin  without  and  within 
the  Walls. — Some  Account  of  this  City. — Proceed  to  a  Country 
Villa  of  the  Emperor. — Inconveniences  of. — Return  to  Pekin. — 
Embassador  proceeds  to  Tartary. — Author  sent  to  the  Palace  of 
Y'uen-min-yuen. — INliserable  Lodgings  of. — Visit  of  the  President 
and  Members  of  the  Mathematical  Tribunal. — Of  the  Bishop  of 
Pekin,  and  others. — Gill's  Sword-blades. — Hatchett's  Carriages. — 
Scorpion  found  in  a  Cask  packed  at  Binningham. — Portraits  of 
English  Nobility. — Effects  of  Accounts  from  Tartary  on  the  Offi- 
cers of  State  in  Pekin. — Emperor's  Return  to  the  Capital. — In- 
spects the  Presents. — Application  of  the  Embassador  for  Leave  to 
depart. — Short  Account  of  the  Palace  and  Gardens  of  Yuen-min- 


CONTENTS.  5 

5'uen. — Lord  Macartney's  Description  of  the  Eastern  and  West- 
ern Parks  of  Gehol. — And  his  general  Remarks  on  Chinese  Land- 
scape Gardening.         ------         fjcE  59 

CHAP.    IV. 

SKETCH  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOCIETY  IN  CHINA. MAN- 
NERS, CUSTOMS,  SENTIMENTS,  AND  MORAL  CHARACTER 
OF  THE  PEOPLE.       . 

Condition  of  Women,  a  Criterion  of  the  State  of  Society. — Degraded 
State  of  in  China. — Domestic  manners  mifavourable  to  Filial  Af-" 
fection.— .Parental  Authority. — 111  Effects  of  separating  the  Se^fes. 
— Social  Intercourse  unknown,  except  for  Gaming. — Their  Wor- 
ship solitary. — Feasts  of  New  Year. — Propensity  to  Gaming. — 
Influence  of  the  Laws  seems  to  have  destroyed  the  natui'al  Cha- 
racter of  the  People Made  them  indifTerent,  or  cruel. — Various 

Instances  of  this  Remark  in  public  and  in  private  Life. — Remarks 
on  Infanticide. — Perhaps  less  general  than  usually  thought. — Cha- 
racter of  Chinese  in  Foreign  Countries. — Temper  and  Disposi- 
tion of  the  Chinese. — Merchants. — Cuckoo-clocks. — Conduct  of  a 
Prince  of  the  Blood. — Of  the  Prime  Minister. — Comparison  of  the 
Physical  and  Moi-al  Characters  of  the  Chinese  and  Man-tchoo 
Tartars. — General  Character  of  the  Nation  illustrated.      pace  93 

CHAP.  V. 

MANNERS  AND  AMUSEMENTS  OF  THE  COURT. RECEP- 
TION  OF  EMBASSADORS. CHARACTER  AND  PRIVATE 

LIFE  OF  THE  EMPEROR. HIS  EUNUCHS  AND  WOMEN. 

General  Character  of  the  Court — Of  the  Buildings  about  the  Palace. 
— Lord  Macartney's  Account  of  his  Introduction. — Of  the  Cele.T 
bration  of  the  Emperor's  Anniversary  Festival  — Of  a  Puppet- 
Shew. — Comedy  and  Pantomime. — Wrestling. — Conjuring  and 
Fire-Works. — Reception  and  Entertainment  of  the  Dutch  Em- 
bassadors from  a  Manuscript  Journal — Observations  on  the  State 
of  the  Chinese  Stage. — Extraordinary  Scene  in  one  of  their  Dra- 
mas.— Gross  and  indelicate  Exhibitions. — Sketch  of  Kien-Long's 
Life  and  Character. — Kills  his  Son  by  an  unlucky  Blow. — con- 
ceives himself  immortal. — Influence  of  the  Eunuchs  at  the  Tartar 
Conquest — their  present  State  and  Ofllccs. — Emperor's  Wife, 
Queens,  and  Concubines — How  disposed  of  at  his  Death.  t29 


172743 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  VI. 

LANGUAGE. LITERATURE,    AND    THE    FINE    ARTS. 

SCIENCES. MECHANICS,  AND  MEDICINE. 

Opinion  of  the  Chinese  Language  being  hieroglyphical  erroneous. — 
Doctor  Hager's  mistakes. — Etymological  Comparisons  fallacious, 
— Examples  of. — Nature  of  the  Chinese  written  Character. — Dif- 
ficulty and  Ambiguity  of. — Curious  Mistake  of  an  eminent  Anti- 
quarian.— Mode  of  acquiring  the  Character. — Oral  Language. — 
Mantchoo  Tartar  Alphabet. — Chinese  Literature. — 'Astronomy. — 
Chronology. — Cycle  of  sixty  Years. — Geography. — Arithmetic. — 
Chemical  Arts. — Cannon  and  Gunpowder. — Distillation. — Pot- 
teries.— Silk  Manufactures. — Ivory. — Bamboo — Paper. — Ink. — 
Printing. — Mechanics. Music.' — Painting. — Sculptui'e. — Archi- 
tecture.— Hotel  of  the  English  Embassador  in  Pekin — The  Great 

Wall The  Grand  Canal. — -Bridges. — Cemeteries. Natural 

Philosophy Medicine. Chinese  Pharmacopoeia Quacks. — 

Contagious  Fevers. — Small-pox. — Opthalmia. — Venereal  Disease. 
Midv/ifery — Surgery. — Doctor  Gregory's  Opinion  of  their  Medi- 
cal Knowledge. — Sir  William  Jones's  Opinion  of  their  general 
Character. page  159 


CHAP.  vn. 

GOVERNMENT LAWS TENURES  OF  LAND  AND  TAXES 

REVENUES CIVIL  AND  MILITARY  RANKS,  AND  ES- 

TABLISHMENTS. 

Opinions  on  which  the  Executive  Authority  is  grounded. — Principle 
on  which  an  Emperor  of  China  seldom  appears  in  public. — The 
Censorate. — Public  Departments. — Laws. — Scale  of  Crimes  and 
Punishments. — Laws  regarding  Homicide. — Curious  Law  Case. 
— No  Appeal  from  Civil  Suits. — Defects  in  the  Executive  Go- 
vernment.— Duty  of  Obedience  and  Power  of  personal  Correction. 
— Russia  and  China  compared. — Fate  of  the  Prime  Minister  Ho- 
chang-tong — Yearly  Calendar  and  Pckin  Gazette,  engines  of 
Government. — Freedom  of  the  Press. — Duration  of  the  Govern- 
ment attempted  to  be  explained. — Precautions  of  Governnnent  to 
prevent  Insurrections. — Taxes  and  Revenues. — Civil  and  Military 


CONTENTS.       '  7 

Establishments. — Chinese  Army,  its  Numbers  and  Appointments. 
— Conduct  of  the  Tartar  Government  at  the  Conquest — Impolitic 
Change  of  late  Years,  and  the  probable  Consequences  of  it.      239 

CHAP.   VIII. 

CONJECTURES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  CHINESE. — THEIR 
RELIGIOUS    SECTS,  TENETS,   AND   CEREMONIES. 

Embassy  departs  from  Pekin,  and  is  lodged  in  a  Temple. — Colony 
from  Egypt  not  necessary  to  be  supposed,  in  order  to  account  for 
Egyptian  Mythology  in  China. — Opinions  concerning  Chinese 
Origin. — Observations  on  the  Heights  of  Tartary. — Probably  the 
Resting-place  of  the  Ark  of  Noah. — Ancients  ignorant  of  the  Chi- 
nese.— Seres.— First  known  Intercourse  of  Foreigners  with  China. 
— Jews. — Budhists. — Nestorians. — iMahomedans — Roman  Catho- 
lics— Quarrels  of  the  Jesuits  and  Dominicans. — Religion  of  Con- 
fucius.— Attached  to  the  Prediction  of  future  Events. — Notions 
entertained  by  him  of  a  future  State. — Of  the  Deity — Doctrine 
not  unlike  that  of  the  Stoics — Ceremonies  in  Honour  of  his  Me- 
mory led  to  Idolatry. — Misrepresentations  of  the  Missionaries 
with  regard  to  the  religion  of  the  Chinese. — The  Tao-tze  or  Sons 
of  Immortals. — Their  Beverage  of  Life. — The  Disciples  of  Fo,  or 
Budhists. — Comparison  of  some  of  the  Hindu,  Greek,  Egyptian, 
and  Chinese  Deities. — The  Lotos  or  Nelumbium — Story  of  Osi- 
ris and  Isis,  and  the  Isia  compared  Avith  the  Imperial  Ceremony 
of  Ploughing. — Women  visit  the  Temples. — Practical  Part  of 
Chinese  Religion. — Funeral  Obsequies. — Feast  of  Lanterns. — 
Obeisance  to  the  Emperor  performed  in  Temples  leads  to  Idola- 
try.— Primitive  Religion  lost  or  corrupted. — Summary  of  Chinese 
Religion. r.iCK  281 

CHAP.    IX. 

JOURNEY  FROM  TONG-CHOO-FOO,  TO  THE  PROVINCE  OF 
CANTON. FACE  OF  THE  COUNTRY,  AND  ITS  PRODUC- 
TIONS.  BUILDINGS    AND   OTHER    PUBLIC  WORKS. 

CONDITION  OF  THE  PEOPLE. STATE  OF  AGRICULTURE, 

POPULATION. 

Attentions  paid  to  the  Embassy. — Observations  on  the  Climate  and 
Plains  of  Pc-tche-lee. — Plantsof.  — Diet  and  Condition  of  the  Peo- 
l)le.—Burying-place.— Observation  on  Chinese  Cities. —  Trackers 


8  CONTENTS. 

of  the  Yachts. — Entrance  of  the  Grand  Canal.—  The  Fishing  Cor- 
vorant. — Approach  to  the  Yellow-River. — Ceremony  of  crossing 
this  River. — Observations  on  Canals  and  Roads. — Improvement 
of  the  Country  in  advancing  to  the  Southward. — Beauty  of,  near 
Sau-choo-foo. — Bridge  of  ninety -one  Arches. — Country  near  Hang- 
choo-foo. — City  of. — Appearance  of  the  Country  near  the  Po-yang 
Lake. — Observations  in  Proceeding  through  Kiang-see.  The  Ca- 
mellia Sesanqua. — Retrospective  View  of  the  Climate  and  Produce, 
Diet  and  Condition  of  the  People,  of  Pe-tche-lee. — Some  Obser- 
vations on  the  Capital  of  China. — Province  of  Shan-tung. — Of 
Kiang-nan. — Observations  on  the  State  of  Agriculture  in  China. 
— Rice  Mills — Province  of  Tche-kiang. — Of  Kiang-see. — Popu- 
lation of  China  compared  with  that  of  England — Erroneous  Opi- 
nions entertained  on  this  subject. — Comparative  Population  of  a 
City  in  China  and  in  England — Famines  accounted  for — Means 
of  Prevention — Causes  of  the  Populousness  of  China,     pace  330 

CHAP.    X. 

JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  PROVINCE  OF  CANTON. SITU- 
ATION   OF     FOREIGNERS    TRADING    TO    THIS    PORT. 

CONCLUSION. 

Visible  Change  in  the  Character  of  the  People. — Rugged  Moun- 
tains.— Collieries. — Temple  in  a  cavern. — Stone  Quarries. — Va- 
rious Plants  for  Use  and  Ornament — Arrive  at  Canton — Expense 
of  the  Embassy  to  the  Chinese   Government. — To  the  British 

Nation Nature  and  Inconveniences  of  the  Trade  to  Canton 

The  Armenian  and  his  Pearl. — Impositions  of  the  Officers  of  Go- 
vernment instanced. — Principal  Cause  of  them  is  the  Ignorance  of 

the  Language Case  of  Chinese  trading -to  London — A  Chinese 

killed  by  a  Seaman  of  his  Majesty's  Ship  Madras — Delinquent 
saved  from  an  ignominious  Death,  by  a  proper  Mode  of  commu- 
nication with  the  Government — Conclusion.  -  page  4,01 


ADVERTISETvlENT. 

CCj*  1'HE  sentivients  advanced  in  the  present  Work,  and  the  point  of  view  in 
•mJiich  some  of  the  facts  are  considered,  being  so  very  different  from  the  alm.ost  uni- 
versally received  opinion,  and  soine  of  them  from  the  opinion  of  those  to  luhose 
friendship  the  Author  is  particularly  indebted  for  various  literary  cominunications, 
he  thinks  it  right  to  declare,  that  they  are  the  unbiassed  conclusions  of  his  own 
mind  founded  altogether  on  his  own  observations  ;  a/idhe  trusts  that  the  Public,  in 
considering  him  alone  responsible,  'uiill  receive  them  v/ith  its  ttsual  candour. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


CHAP.    I. 


PRELIMINARY  MATTER. 

Introduction. — General  View  of  what  Travellers  are  likely  to  meet  with  in  Chi- 
na.— Mistaken  Notions  entertained  with  regard  to  the  British  Embassy — 
corrected  by  tlie  Reception  and  Treatment  of  the  subsequent  Dutch  Embas- 
sy— Supposed  Points  of  Failure  in  the  former,  as  stated  by  a  French  Mission- 
ary from  Pekin,  refuted. — Kien  Long's  Letter  to  the  King  of  Holland. — DitTer- 
ence  of  Treatment  experienced  by  the  two  Embassies  explained.. — Intrigues 
of  Missionaries  in  foreign  Countries. — Pride  and  Self-importance  of  the  Chi- 
nese  Court. — List  of  European  Embassies,  and  the  Time  of  their  Abode  in 
Pekin. — Conclusion  of  Preliminary  Subject. 

IT  is  hardly  necessary  to  observe  that,  after  the  able  and 
interesting  account  of  the  proceedings  and  result  of  the  Bri- 
tish embassy  to  the  court  of  China,  by  the  late  Sir  George 
Staunton  (^^■ho  \\as  no  less  amiable  for  liberal  it}-  of  sentiment, 
than  remarkable  for  vigour  of  intellect),  it  would  Idc  an  idle, 
and  indeed,  a  superfluous  undertaking,  in  any  other  person 
who  accompanied  the  embass}-,  to  dwell  on  those  subjects 
which  ha\  e  been  treated  by  him  in  so  masterly  a  manner ;  or 
to  recapitulate  those  incidents  and  transactions,  ^vhich  he  has 
detailed  with  equal  elegance  and  accuracy. 

But,  as  it  \\ill  readil}'  occur  to  tvcry  one,  there  are  still  ma- 
ny interesting  subjects,  on  ^hich  Sir  George,  from  the  nature 
of  his  work,  could  only  barely  touch,  and  others  that  did  not 
come  ^A'ithin  his  plan  (one  great  object  of  A\"hich  was  to  un- 
fold the  y'ltw's  of  the  embass}-,  and  to  shcA\'  that  CAcry  thing, 
which  could  be  done,  was  done,  for  promoting  the  interests  of 
the  British  nation,  and  supporting  the  dignity  of  the  British 
character),  the  author  of  the  present  ^\•ork  has  ventured, 
though  ^^'ith  extreme  diffidence,  and  with  the  consciousness  of 
tlie  disadvantage  under  which  he  must  appear  after  that  *'  Ac- 
"  count  of  tlie  Embassy,"  to  lay  before  the  public  the  point 
of  vie\v  in  A\-hich  be  sa\v  the  Chinese  empire,  and  the  Chinese 

A 


o  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

character.  In  doing  this,  the  same  flicts  will  sometimes  neces- 
siirily  occur,  that  have  already  been  published,  for  reasons  that 
it  would  be  needless  to  mention ;  but  ^^•hene^•er  that  liappens 
to  be  the  case,  they  will  briefly  be  repeated,  for  die  purpose  of 
illustrating  some  position,  or  for  deducing  some  general  infe- 
rence, 'rhus,  for  instance,  the  document  given  to  die  embas- 
sador of  the  population  of  China  will  be  noticed,  not  however 
imder  the  colour  of  its  being  an  unquestionably  accurate  state- 
ment, but,  on  the  conti-arj^,  to  she^v  that  it  neidier  is,  nor  can 
be,  correct ;  yet,  at  the  same  time  to  endeavour  to  pro^^e,  by 
facts  and  analogy,  tliat,  contrar}^  to  the  received  opinion,  the 
Countr}'^  is  capable  of  supporting  not  only  three  hundred  and 
thirt}'-tliree  millions  of  people,  but  diat  it  might  actually  af- 
ford the  means  of  subsistence  to  twice  that  number.  The 
confirmation,  indeed,  of  new  and  impoitaiit  facts,  though  very 
different  conclusions  be  drawn  fi'om  them,  cannot  be  entirely 
unacceptable  to  the  reader  ;  for  as  different  persons  will  gene- 
rally see  the  same  things  in  different  points  of  ^ie^^  so,  per- 
haps, by  combining  and  comparing  the  different  descriptions 
and  colouring  that  may  be  given  of  the  same  objects,  the  pub- 
lic is  enabled  to  obtain  the  most  correct  notions  of  such  mat- 
ters as  can  be  leanied  only  fi-om  the  report  of  travellers. 

With  regard  to  China,  if  we  except  the  work  of  Sir 
George  Staunton,  and  the  limited  account  of  Mr.  Bell  of 
Antermony,  which  was  not  written  by  himself,  it  may  be 
considerecl  as  unbeaten  gi-ound  by  Britons.  We  have  heai'd 
a  gi'eat  deal  of  Chinese  knaver^^  practised  at  Canton,  but,  ex- 
cept in  the  two  works  abo\  ementioned,  we  have  not  yet  heai'd 
the  sentiments  of  an  Englishman  at  all  acquainted  with  the 
manners,  customs,  and  character  of  the  Chinese  nation. 
The  voluminous  communications  of  the  missionai'ies  are  by 
no  means  satisfactory  ;  and  some  of  their  defects  will  be  no- 
ticed and  accounted  for  in  the  course  of  this  work  ;  the  chief 
aim  of  which  will  be  to  shew  this  extraordinaiy  people  in  their 
proper  colours,  not  as  their  own  moral  maxims  would  repre- 
sent them,  but  as  they  really  are — to  divest  the  court  of  tlie 
tinsel  and  the  tawdry  varnish  with  which,  like  tlie  palaces  of 
the  Emperor,  die  missionaries  have  found  it  expedient  to  co- 
ver it  in  their  ^^Titings ;  and  to  endeavour  to  ckaw  such  a 
sketch  of  the  manners,  the  state  of  society,  the  language, 
literature  and  fine  arts,  die  sciences  and  ci\'ii  institutions,  the , 
religious  \\orship  and  opinions,  die  population  and  progress 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  3 

of  agriculture,  the  civil  and  moral  chai-acter  of  the  people,  as 
may  enable  the  reader  to  settle,  in  his  own  mind,  the  point  <f 
rank  which  China  may  be  considered  to  hold  in  the  scale 
of  civilized  nations. 

The  stability  of  the  Chinese  government ;  the  fc^v  changes 
that  have  been  made  in  its  civil  institutions  for  such  a  nimiber 
of  ages;  the  vast  extent  of  empire  and  immense  population, 
forming  one  societ}^  guided  by  the  same  la\\s,  and  go^•erncd 
by  the  will  of  a  single  individual,  ofter,  as  Sir  George 
Staunton  has  observed,  "  tlie  gnmdest  collecti\'e  object  that 
can  be  presented  for  human  contemplation  or  research."  The 
customs,  habits  and  manners,  the  wants  and  resources,  die 
language,  sentiments  and  religious  notions,  of  "  the  most 
ancient  society  and  the  most  populous  empire  existing 
amongst  men,"  ai-e,  without  doubt,  most  interesting  sub- 
jects for  the  investigation  of  the  philosopher,  and  not  unworthy 
the  attention  of  the  statesmim.  But  the  expectations  of  the 
man  of  science,  the  artist,  or  the  naturalist,  might  perhaps  be 
rather  disappointed,  than  their  curiosity  be  gi-atified,  in  tra- 
velling through  this  extensive  countn'.  It  ciui  boast  of  few 
works  of  art,  few  remains  of  ancient  grandeur.  The  great 
wall,  that  for  a  time  defended  its  peaceable  inhabitiints  against 
the  attacks  of  the  roving  Taitai's,  the  \Aalls  of  its  numerous 
cities,  with  their  squai'C  to\^■ers  and  lofty  gates,  and  here  and 
there  an  old  pagoda,  are  its  only  architectural  antiquities  ;  and, 
when  these  iire  excepted,  there  is  not  perhaps  a  single  building 
in  tlie  whole  extent  of  China  that  has  withstood  the  action  of 
three  centuries.  There  are  no  ancient  palaces,  nor  otlicr 
public  edifices,  no  paintings  nor  pieces  of  sculpture,  to  airest 
the  attention  of  the  traveller,  unless  it  might  be  from  the  no- 
velty of  their  appearance.  In  travelling  over  the  continent  of 
Europe,  and  more  especially  on  the  classic  ground  of  Italy 
and  Greece,  every  city,  mountain,  riAcr,  and  ruin,  are  ren- 
dered interestina:  bv  somethins:  on  record  which  concerns 
them ;  the  theme  of  some  poet,  the  seat  of  some  philosopher 
or  lawgiAcr,  the  scene  of  some  memorable  action,  they  all  in- 
spire us  with  the  liveliest  sensations,  by  re^  iving  in  the  mind 
diose  pleasures  ^^hich  the  study  of  their  histor}-  afibrded  in 
eai'ly  life.  To  Europeans  the  histoiy  of  China  has  hitherto 
furnished  no  materials  for  such  recurrence,  and  the  counti'v 
itself  is  therefore  incapable  of  communicating  such  impres- 
sions.   In  vain  should  ^ve  here  look  for  the  massy  and  stupen- 


4  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

dous  fabrics  that  appear  in  the  pyramids  aiid  the  pillars  of  the- 
ancient  Eg}  ptians ;  the  beautiful  and  symmeti'ical  works  of  art 
displayed  in  the  temples  of  the  Greeks ;  the  grand  and  mag- 
nificent remains  of  Roman  ai-chitecture ;  or  that  combination 
of  con\'enience  and  elegance  of  design  wliich  chai'acterize  the 
modem  buildings  of  Em'ope.  In  China  eveiy  city  is  nearly 
the  same :  a  quadrangular  space  of  ground  is  enclosed  with 
v.alls  of  stone,  of  brick,  or  of  eaith,  all  built  upon  the  same 
plan ;  the  houses  within  them  of  the  same  construction ;  and 
the  streets,  except  the  principal  ones  that  run  fiom  gate  to 
gate,  imariably  naiTow.  The  temples  ai-e,  nearly,  ail  alike, 
of  the  scone  a^^'k^^■al"d  design  as  the  dwelling-houses,  but  on 
a  larger  scale ;  and  the  objects  tliat  are  known  in  Europe  by 
the  name  of  pagodas,  ai'e  of  the  same  inelegant  kind  of  archi- 
tecture, from  one  extremity  of  the  empire  to  the  other,  differ- 
ing onl}^  in  the  number  of  rounds  or  stories,  and  in  tlie  mate- 
rials of  which  they  ai'e  constmcted.  The  manners,  the  dress, 
the  amusements  of  the  people,  are  nearly  the  same.  Even  the 
surface  of  the  countiy,  as  far  as  regaixls  the  fifteen  ancient 
provinces,  is  subject  to  little  Aaiiation,  and  especially  those 
paits  over  \vhich  the  grand  inland  navigation  is  caiTied ;  the 
only  parts,  in  fact,  that  foreigners  ti^avelling  in  China  liave  any 
chance  of  visiting. 

In  this  route  no  ^ery  gi'eat  \ariety  nor  number  of  subjects 
occur  in  tlie  depaitment  of  natuml  history.  Few  native  plants, 
and  still  fewer  wild  animals,  are  to  be  expected  in  those  parts 
of  a  countiy  that  are  populous  and  well  cultivated.  Indeed 
the  rapid  manner  in  which  the  present  journey  was  made,  was 
ill  suited  for  collecting  and  examining  specimens  even  of  tliosc 
few  that  did  occur. 

On  these  considerations  it  is  hoped  that  the  indulgence  of 
the  reader  will  not  be  withheld,  where  information  on  such 
points  may  appear  to  be  defective.  A  French  critic  *  (i:)erhaps 
^vithout  doing  him  injustice  he  may  be  called  a  h3^percritic) 
\\ho  happened  to  visit  Canton  for  a  few  months,  some  fifty 
years  ago,  has,  with  that  happy  confidence  peculiai*  to  his  na- 
tion, not  only  pointed  out  the  eiTors  and  defects  of  the  in- 
formation communicated  to  the  world  b}"  the  English  and  the 
Dutch  embassies,  but  has  laid  down  a  syllabus  of  tlie  subjects 
the}'  ought  to  have  made  themseh^es  completely  acquainted 

*  Monsieur  (I  beg'  his  pardon)  Citoyen  Charpentier  Cossigny. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  5 

with,  which,  instead  of  seven  months,  would  seem  to  require 
a  residence  of  seven  yeai's  in  the  countr}-.  But  the  author  of 
the  present  work  rests  liis  confidence  in  the  English  critics 
being  less  unreasonable  in  their  demands ;  and  that  their  in- 
dulgences will  be  proportioned  to  the  dilHculties  that  occuiTcd 
in  collecting  accurate  information.  ^Vith  this  reliance,  the 
descriptions,  observations,  and  compai'isons,  such  as  they 
ai'e,  he  presents  to  the  public,  candidly  acknowledging  that 
he  is  actuated  ratlier  by  the  hope  of  meeting  its  forbeai-ance 
tiiaii  b}'  the  confidence  of  deserving  its  approbation. 

Perhaps  it  may  not  be  tliought  amiss,  before  he  enters  on 
the  more  immediate  subject  of  the  work,  to  correct,  in  this 
place,  a  very  mistaken  notion  that  pre^"ailed  on  the  return  of 
the  embassy ;  which  was,  that  an  unconditional  compliance 
of  Lord  Macartney,  wiUi  all  the  himiiliating  ceremonies  which 
the  Chinese  might  have  thought  proj^er  to  exact  fi-om  him, 
would  haA'c  been  productive  of  results  more  favoiu'al^le  to  the 
views  of  the  embassy.  Assertions  of  such  a  general  nature 
are  more  easil}'^  made  than  refuted,  and  are,  indeed,  unworthy 
of  attention ;  but  a  letter  of  a  French  raissionaiy,  at  Pekin, 
to  the  chief  of  the  Dutch  factory  at  Canton,  is  deserving  of 
some  notice,  because  it  specifies  the  reasons  to  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  -WTiter's  0]^inion,  was  owing  the 'supposed 
failure  of  the  British  embassy.  In  speaking  of  this  subject  he 
observes,  "  Never  was  an  embassy  deserving  of  better  suc- 
*'  cess !  whether  it  be  considered  on  account  of  the  experi- 
"  ence,  the  wisdom,  and  tlie  amiable  qualities  of  Lord  Ma- 
"  cartney  and  Sir  George  Staunton;  or  of  the  talents,  the 
*'  knowledge,  and  tlie  circumspect  beha^  iour  of  the  gende- 
*'  men  who  composed  dieir  suit;  or  of  the  valuable  and  cu- 
"  rious  presents  intended  for  the  emperor; — and  yet,  strange 
"  to  tell,  never  was  there  an  embassy  that  succeeded  so  ill ! 

"  You  may  be  curious,  perhaps,  to  know  the  reason  of  an 
"  event  so  unfa\'Ourable  and  so  extraordinary.  I  will  tell  you, 
"  in  a  few  words.  These  gentlemen,  like  all  strangers,  who 
"  know  China  only  from  books,  were  igniorant  of  the  manner 
"  of  proceeding,  of  the  customs  and  the  etiquette  of  diis 
"  court ;  and  to  add  to  their  misfortune,  they  brought  with 
"  them  a  Chinese  inteq^reter  still  less  informed  tlian  them- 
"  selves.  The  consequence  of  all  whicli  ^vas,  that  in  the  first 
"  place,  they  came  without  any  presents  for  the  minister  of 
"  state,, or  for  the  sons  of  dx  emperor.     Secondly,  They  re- 


6  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

"  fused  to  go  through  the  usual  ceremony  of  saluting  the  em- 
"  peror,  without  offering  any  satisfactory  reason  for  such  re- 
"  fusal.  Thirdly,  They  presented  themselves  in  clothes  that 
"  were  too  plain,  and  too  common.  Fourthly,  They  did  not 
"  use  the  precaution  to  fee  (gi-aisser  la  patte)  the  several  per- 
*'  sons  apjiointed  to  the  superintendence  of  their  affairs. 
*'  Fifthly,  Their  demands  were  not  made  in  the  tone  and  style 
*'  of  the  countiy.  Another  reason  of  their  bad  success,  and, 
*'  in  my  mind,  the  principal  one,  was  owing  to  the  intrigues 
*'  of  a  ceitain  missiomuy,  who,  imagining  tliat  this  embassy 
"  might  be  injurious  to  the  interests  of  his  own  country,  did 
"  not  fliil  to  excite  unfavourable  impressions  against  the  En- 
"  glish  nation." 

The  points  of  failiu'e,  enjunerated  in  this  letter  of  M.  Gram- 
mont,  -were  so  many  spurs  to  the  Dutch  factor}^,  to  try  their 
success  at  the  court  of  Pekin,  the  following  year.  No  sooner 
did  Mr.  Van  Braam  receive  this  dispatch,  by  the  return  of  the 
English  embassy  to  Cimton,  than  he  prepai*ed  a  letter  for  the 
commissai'ies  general  at  Batavia,  in  which  he  informed  them, 
that  as  it  "was  the  intention  of  the  different  nations  who  had 
factories  established  in  Canton,  to  send  embassador  to  the 
capital,  for  the  purpose  of  congratulating  the  Emj^eror  on 
his  attaining  tlie  age  of  eighty-four  years,  which  would  be  in 
tlie  sixtieth  year  of  his  reign,  he  had  resolved  to  proceed  on 
such  a  mission,  on  the  part  of  the  Batavian  Republic ;  and  re- 
quested that  he  might  be  furnished,  without  delay,  with  suita- 
ble credentials.  To  this  application  the  commissaries  general, 
who  had  been  sent  out,  the  same  year,  to  retrench  the  ex- 
pences  of  the  company  in  their  Indian  settlements,  and  to  re- 
form abuses,  returned  for  answer.  That,  however  low  and 
inadequate  their  finances  might  be,  to  admit  of  extraordinary 
expences,  yet  they  deemed  it  expedient  not  to  shew  any 
backwardness  in  adopting  similar  measures  to  those  pursued 
by  other  Europeans  trading  to  China  ;  and  that  they  had,  ac- 
cordingly, nominated  Mr.  Titsingh  as  chief,  and  himself  (Mi*. 
Van  Braam)  as  second  embassador  to  the  Court  of  China. 

Mr.  Titsingh  lost  no  time  in  repairing  to  Canton ;  and  these 
two  embassadors,  determining  to  a\ail  themselves  of  the  hints 
thrown  out  in  M.  Grammont's  letter,  and  thereby  to  avoid 
splitting  on  the  same  rock  which,  they  took  for  granted,  the 
British  embassador  had  done,  cheerfully  submitted  to  every 
humiliating  ceremony  required  from  them  by  the  Chinese, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  f 

who,  in  return,  treated  them  in  the  most  contemptuous  and 
indignant  manner.  At  Canton  they  were  ordered  to  assist  in 
a  solemn  procession  of  Mandaiines,  to  a  temple  in  the  neip-h- 
bourhood,  and  there,  before  the  emperor's  name,  jminted  on 
cloth,  and  suspended  above  the  altar,  to  boA\^  their  heads  nine 
times  to  the  ground,  in  token  of  giatitude  for  his  great  con- 
descension in  pemiitting  them  to  proceed  to  his  presence,  in 
order  to  offer  him  tribute.  They  submitted  e\'en  to  the  de- 
mands of  the  state  officers  of  Canton,  tliat  the  letter,  A\ritten 
by  the  commissaries  general  at  Batavia,  to  the  Emperor  of 
China,  and  ti*anslated  tJiere  into  the  Chinese  language,  should 
be  broke  open,  and  the  contents  read  bj-  them ;  and  tliat  they 
should  further  be  allowed  to  make  therein  such  alterations  and 
additions  as  they  might  think  proper.  The  embassador,  re- 
solving not  to  be  wanting  in  any  point  of  ci\^ility,  requested 
to  know  when  he  might  have  the  honour  of  pacing  his  respects 
to  the  viceroy  ;  and  received  for  answer,  that  the  customs  of 
the  countr}^  did  not  allow  a  person,  in  his  situation,  to  come 
witliin  the  Malls  of  the  viceroy's  palace ;  but  that  one  of  his 
officers  should  receive  his  visit  at  the  gate ;  v.hich  visit  to  the 
gate  was  literally  made.  Mr.  Van  Braam,  in  relating  this 
circumstance  in  his  journal,  observ^es,  that  the  viceroy  '*  as- 
sured his  excellency,  he  ought  not  to  take  his  refusal  amiss ; 
as  the  same  terms  had  been  prescribed  to  Lord  Macartnc}',  the 
preceding  }ear."  Mr.  Van  Braam  knew  \^vy  v\ell  that  Lord 
Macartney  never  subjected  himself  to  an}-  such  refusal ;  and 
he  knew,  too,  that  die  same  viceroy  accompanied  his  Lord- 
ship, in  a  great  part  of  his  journey  from  the  capital ;  that  he 
partook  of  a  repast,  on  the  invitation  of  Lord  Macartnev^  at 
the  British  factory  ;  when,  for  the  first  time,  Mr.  ^"an  Braam, 
and  the  supercai-goes  of  all  the  European  nations,  had  been 
pennitted  to  sit  down  in  the  presence  of  one  of  his  rank. 

At  Pekin  they  were  required  to  humiliate  themselves  at 
least  thirty  different  times  ;  at  each  of  which  they  were  obli- 
ged, on  their  knees,  to  knock  their  heads  nine  times  against 
the  gi'ound,  ^hich  Mr.  Van  Braam,  in  his  journal,'  v^ery 
coolly  calls,  performing  the  salute  of  honour,  '■'/aire  le  salut 
d'honncur.''''  And  they  were  finally  dismissed,  with  a  few 
paltry  pieces  of  silk,  without  having  once  been  allowed  to  open 
their  lips  on  any  kind  of  business ;  and  without  being  permit- 
ted to  see  either  their  friend  Grammont,  or  an>'  other  Euro- 
pean missionaiy,  except  one,  who  had  special  leave  to  make 


8  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

tliem  a  ^isit  of  half  an  hour,  the  day  before  their  departure, 
in  j^resence  of  ten  or  t^^ehe  officers  of  go\^eniment.  On  their 
arrival  in  tliis  capital,  they  -were  lodged,  literally,  in  a  stable ; 
under  the  same  co\er,  and  in  the  same  apartment,  \^"ith  a 
pcU'cel  of  cart  horses.  Mr.  Van  Braam's  OAvn  Avords  are, 
"  Nous  loilt  dnnc^  a  notre  arrii^ee,  dans  la  celebre  resi- 
"  dence  imperiale^  logh  dans  iine  espece  d''e curie.  Nous 
"  serious  nous  attcndus  d  une  pareille  ai^anture  P'' 

After  such  a  -vile  reception  and  degrading  treatment  of  the 
Dutch  embass}' ,  \\\\2X  advantages  can  reasonably  be  expected 
to  accrue  from  a  servile  and  unconditional  compliance  with 
the  submissions  required  by  this  haughty  government?  It 
would  rather  seem  that  then-  exactions  are  proportioned  to  the 
comph'ing  temper  of  the  persons  \^ith  whom  they  have  to 
treat.  For  it  appears,  not  only  from  Mr.  Van  Braams's  own 
account  of  the  embassy,  but  also  from  two  manuscript  jour- 
nals in  the  author's  possession,  one  kept  by  a  Dutch  gentle- 
man in  the  suite,  and  the  other  by  a  native  Chinese,  that  the 
embassadors  from  the  Bata^  ian  Rq^ublic  ^^'ere  fully  prepared 
to  obviate  ever}"  difficulty  that  might  aiise  from  the  supposed 
points  of  failure  in  the  British  embassy,  as  directed  to  their 
notice  by  M.  Grammont.  In  the  first  place,  they  not  only 
canied  presents  for  the  ministers  of  state,  but  they  calmly 
suffered  these  gentlemen  to  trick  them  out  of  the  only  curious 
and  -valuable  ailicles  among  the  presents  intended  for  the  em- 
peror, and  to  substitute  others,  of  a  mean  and  common  na- 
ture, in  their  place.  Secondh',  they  not  only  complied  with 
going  through  the  usual  ceremony  of  saluting  the  emperor, 
but  also  of  saluting  the  emperor's  name,  painted  on  a  piece 
of  silk,  at  least  fifty  times  on  their  journey  to  and  from  the 
capital :  \\hich  degi-ading  ceremony  they  even  condescended 
to  perform  before  die  person  of  the  prime  minister.  With 
regaixl  to  the  third  point,  it  certainly  appears  that  no  expence 
had  been  spared  in  providing  themselves  with  splendid  robes 
for  the  occasion ;  but,  unfortunately,  they  had  but  few  oppor- 
tunities of  making  use  of  them,  their  baggage  not  arriving  at 
the  capital  till  many  da}-s  after  they  had  been  there.  Nor  does 
it  seem  that  tlie  dress  of  a  foreign  embassador  is  considered 
of  much  consequence  in  the  eyes  of  the  Chinese ;  for,  when 
these  gentlemen  Mashed  to  excuse  themseh'es  from  going  to 
court,  on  account  of  their  dusty  and  tattered  clothes,  in  which 
they  had  performed  a  most  painful  journey,  tine  master  of  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  9 

ceremonies  observed  that  it  ^vas  not  tlieir  dress,  but  their  per- 
sons, which  the  emperor,  Iiis  master,  \vb.s  desirous  to  see : 
and,  it  can  hai'dly  be  supposed  diat  they  would  omit  observing 
the  fourtli  article,  which,  M.  Grammont  is  of  opinion,  \\-as 
neglected  by  Lord  Macartney.  And,  in  tlie  last  place,  they 
stand  fully  acquitted  of  any  \\:ant  of  humility,  in  tiie  tone  and 
style  of  their  communications,  after  ha\ing  allowed dicir  cre- 
dentials to  be  ne^v  modelled  by  the  officers  of  government  at 
Canton ;  from  ^\"hich  city  they  had  also  an  inteq^reter,  a  very 
proper  one,  no  doubt,  appointed  to  attend  tlicm. 

Their  mission,  it  is  true,  was  not  well  calculated  for  making 
tenns  or  rejecting  proposals.  The  Chinese  were  not  unac- 
quainted with  tlie  declining  finances  of  the  Dutch ;  they  knew 
very  well  diat  the  embassy  had  originated  in  Canton,  and  tliat 
it  Avas  accredited  only  from  their  superiors  in  Batavia.  In 
their  journey  they  were  harrassed  beyoiid  measure ;  some- 
times they  were  lodged  in  WTCtched  hovels,  \vithout  furniture 
and  A\ithout  co^er ;  sometimes  the}^  \\ ere  obliged  to  pass  the 
night  in  the  open  air,  when  the  temperature  was  below  the 
freezing  point ;  frequently,  for  four  and  twenty  hours,  they 
had  nothing  to  eat.  Viui  Braam  observes  tliat,  owing  to  the 
fatigues  of  the  journey,  the  badness  of  the  -v  ictuals,  their 
early  rising,  and  exposure  to  the  cold,  he  lost  about  five 
inches  in  the  circumference  of  his  body.  Being  rather  coq^u- 
lent,  and  not  very  expert  in  performing  the  Chinese  ceremon}-, 
at  their  public  introduction,  his  hat  happened  to  fall  on  the 
ground;  upon  Avhich  the  old  Emperor  began  to  laugh — 
"  Thus,"  says  he,  "  I  received  a  mark  of  distinction  and 
predilection,  such  as  never  embassador  was  honoured  witli  be- 
fore. I  confess,"  continues  he,  "  that  die  recollection  of  my 
sulFerings  from  the  cold,  in  waiting  so  long  in  die  morning, 
was  very  much  softened  by  this  incident."  No  man  will  cer- 
tainly envy  this  gentleman's  happy  titni  of  mind,  in  receiving 
so  much  satisfaction  in  being  laughed  at. 

The  tone  of  the  emjoeror's  letter,  with  which  they  were 
dismissed,  while  it  spcLiks  the  \'ain  and  arrogant  sentiments  of 
diis  hauglity  government,  shews,  at  the  same  time,  how  well 
acquainted  they  were  "with  the  circumstances  that  gave  rise  to 
the  mission,  and  the  dcf^Tee  of  estimation  in  which  they  held 
it.  It  was  Avritten  in  the  Taitar,  Chinese,  and  Latin  languages ; 
from  the  last  of  A\'hich,  as  rendered  bv  the  mission:iries,  the 
following  is  a  literal  translation.      The  contents  were  ad- 


10  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

dressed  to  the  Couneil  of  India ;  but,  on  tlie  outside  wrapper, 
"  To  the  King  of  Holland."  It  may  serve,  at  the  same 
time,  as  a  specimen  of  Cliinese  composition. 

"  I  ha\e  recei\ed  from  Heaven  the  sceptre  of  this  vast  em- 
*'  pire.  I  have  reigned  for  sixty  years,  witli  gloiy  and  hap- 
*'  piness ;  and  have  established  the  most  profound  peace  upon 
"  the  four  seas*  of  the  said  em.pire,  to  the  benefit  of  die  na- 
"  tions  bordering  upon  them.  The  fame  of  my  majesty,  and 
"  proofs  of  my  magnificence,  have  found  their  way  into  eveiy 
"  part  of  die  ^vorld,  and  they  constitute  the  pride  and  die 
"  pleasure  of  my  vast  domains. 

"  I  consider  my  o\mi  liappy  empu^,  and  other  kingdoms, 
"  as  one  and  the  same  family ;  the  princes  and  the  people  are, 
"  in  my  eye,  the  same  men.  I  condescend  to  shed  my  bles- 
"  sings  over  all,  strangers  as  well  as  natives ;  and  there  is  no 
"  country,  however  distant,  that  has  not  received  instances  of 
"  m.v  bene\'olence.  Thus,  all  nations  send  to  do  me  homage, 
"  and  to  congratulate  me  incessantl}\  New  and  successive 
"  embassadors  airive;  some  di'a^vii  in  chariots,  over  the  land, 
"  and  others  traverse,  in  their  ships,  the  immensity  of  the 
"  seas.  In  fact,  I  attend  to  nothing  but  the  good  admi- 
"  nistration  of  my  empire.  I  feel  a  ii\'ely  joy  in  observ- 
"  ing  the  anxiety  ^\dth  which  they  flock  together,  fron^ 
"  e\'ery  quaiter,  to  contemplate  and  admire  the  wise  ad- 
"  ministmtion  of  my  government.  I  experience  the  most 
*'  agreeable  satisfaction  in  paiticipating  my  happiness  with 
''  foreign  states.  I  applaud,  therefore,  }-our  government, 
*'  which,  although  separated  from  mine  by  an  immense  ocean, 
''  has  not  failed  to  send  me  congratulatory  letters,  accompa- 
*'  nied  '\vith  tributar}^  offerings. 

"  Having  perused  your  letters,  I  observe  diat  they  contain 
*'  notliing  but  what  1  consider  as  authentic  testimonies  of 
*'  your  gi'eat  veneration  for  me ;  from  whence  I  conclude  that 
*'  ^ou  admire  my  mode  of  go\'erning.  Li  fact,  you  have 
*'  gi-eat  reason  to  applaud  me.  Since  you  have  cairied  on 
*'  your  trade  at  Canton,  and  it  is  now^  many  years,  stnmgers 
"  have  always  been  well  treated  in  my  empire ;  and  they  ha^e 
"  individuLiily  been  the  objects  of  my  love  and  aftection.     I 

•  This  expression  alludes  to  the  ancient  c^inion,  that  China  was  surrounded 
by  the  sea,  and  that  the  rest  of  the  world  was  made  up  of  islands.  Yet,  though 
ttey  now  possess  a  tolerable  notion  of  geography,  such  is  their  inveterate  adhe- 
i-icw'ce  to  ancient  opinion,  that  they  prefer  retaining  the  most  absurd  errors,  rather 
thwn  change  one  single  senthnent  or  expression  that  Confucius  has  wiitten. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  11 

"  might  call  to  witness  the  Portuguese,  the  Italians,  the  Eng- 
*'  lish,  and  others  oF  the  same  sort  of  nations,  who  ai'e  iill 
"  equally  esteemed  by  me,  and  have  all  presented  me  with 
*'  precious  gifts.  All  have  been  treated,  on  my  part,  after  the 
"  same  manner,  and  \\ithout  p:ii-tiality.  I  give  abundantly, 
"  even  when  those  things  I  received  from  them  ixrc  of  no  \a- 
*'  lue.  My  manner  of  doing  these  things  is  undoubtedly 
"  known  in  )our  countr}-. 

"  Concerning  your  embassador,  he  is  not,  properly  speak - 
"  ing,  sent  by  his  king ;  but  you,  who  are  a  company  of  mer- 
*'  chants,  have  supposed  yourselves  autliorized  to  i)ay  me  this 
*'  respect.  Your  sovereign,  however,  having  directed  you 
*'  to  chuse  a  favourable  mom.ent  of  my  reigii,  you  have  now 
*'  sent  to  felicitiite  me  accordingly,  in  the  name  of  your  said 
"  sovereign.  The  sixtieth  year  of  my  reign  was  about  to  be 
*'  completed.  You,  a  comp:iny,  too  distant  from  }Our  so- 
''  vereign,  could  not  announce  it  to  him.  Interpreting  tliis 
*'  to  be  liis  plciisure,  you  have  undertaken  to  send,  in  his 
"  name,  to  do  me  homage ;  and  I  ha\e  no  doubt  diis  prince 
"  is  inspired  towards  me  with  the  same  sentiments  which  I 
*'  have  experienced  in  you.  I  ha\  e,  therefore,  reccix'cd  )-our 
"  embassador,  as  if  he  had  been  sent  immediately  by  Ms  king ; 
"  and  I  am  desirous  you  should  be  made  acquainted,  that  I 
*'  have  remarked  nothing,  in  the  person  of  yoiu'  emJ)assador, 
"  but  \\hat  bore  testimony  of  his  respect  for  me,  and  of  his 
*'  o\vn  good  conduct. 

"  I  commanded  my  great  officers  to  introduce  him  to  ni)- 
"  presence.  I  ga^'e  him  several  entertainments,  and  ])ermitted 
"  him  to  see  the  gi'ounds  and  the  palaces  that  are  within  my 
*'  vast  and  magnificent  gardens  of  Yuen  min  Yuen.  I  have 
"  so  acted,  that  he  might  feel  the  effects  of  my  attention,  di, 
"  viding  with  him  the  pleasures  which  the  profound  peace  of 
■"  my  empire  alloAvs  me  to  enjoy.  I  ha^e,  moreover,  made 
"  valuable  presents,  not  only  to  him,  but  also  to  the  officers, 
^'  interpreters,  soldiers,  and  servants,  of  his  suite  ;  gi^'i^g 
*'  them,  besides  what  is  customM*)-,  many  other  ailicles,  as 
"  may  be  seen  by  the  catalogue. 

"  Your  embassador  being  about  to  return  to  the  presencA^  of 
"  his  sovereign,  I  have  diiected  him  to  present  to  this  prince 
"  pieces  of  silk  and  other  valuable  ailicles,  to  which  I  have 
"  added  some  antique  vases. 


la  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

"  Ma}-  your  king  receive  my  present !  May  he  govern  his 
"  people  ^\■ilh  ^^■isdom,  and  give  his  sole  attention  to  this 
"  gTond  object,  acting  always  with  an  upright  and  sincere 
*'  hcait!  And.  lastly,  may  he  always  cherish  tlie  recollection 
*'  of  m\'  beneficence !  May  this  king  attentively  watch  over 
"  the  ajfairs  of  his  kingdom !  I  recommend  it  to  him  strongly 
"  aiid  earnestly. 

*'  The  twent)--fourth  day  of  the  first  moon  of  tlie  sixtieth 
*'  year  of  the  reign  of  Kien  Long." 

The  xtry  different  treatment  which  the  English  embassy 
received  at  the  court  of  Pekin  is  easily  explained.  The  Chi- 
nese are  well  mformed  of  the  superiorit}^  of  the  English,  over 
all  other  nations,  by  sea ;  of  the  great  extent  of  their  com- 
merce ;  of  tlieir  vast  possessions  in  India,  w  hich  they  have 
long  regarded  with  a  jealous  e}'e ;  and  of  the  character  and  inde- 
pendent spirit  of  the  nation.  They  perceived,  in  the  manly 
and  open  conduct  of  Lord  Macartney,  the  representative  of  a 
sovereign  in  no  way  inferior  to  the  emperor  of  China ;  and 
tliey  felt  the  propriety,  though  they  were  unwilling  to  avow 
it,  of  exacting  only  tiie  same  token  of  respect  from  him,  to- 
wards their  sovereign,  that  o!ie  of  their  own  countr3-men,  of 
equal  rank,  should  pay  to  the  portrait  of  his  Britannic  majesty. 
It  must,  howe^'er,  liave  been  a  hard  struggle  between  personal 
pride  and  national  importance,  before  they  resolved  to  reject 
so  fair  a  proposal,  and  consent  to  wave  a  ceremony  which  had 
never,  on  any  former  occasion,  been  dispensed  with.  It  is 
easy  to  conceive  how  strong  an  impression  the  rcfusal  of  an 
individual  to  comply  vvith  the  ceremonies  of  the  country,  was 
likely  to  mcJvC  on  the  minds  of  the  emperor  and  his  court. 
How  much  the}-  must  have  suffered,  in  their  o\mi  opinion,  and 
how  gi'eatly  must  their  pride  have  been  mortified,  to  find  that, 
by  no  trick,  nor  artifice,  nor  stretch  of  power,  could  tliey  pre- 
vail on  an  English  embassador  to  forego  tlie  dignit}-  and  respect 
due  to  the  situation  he  held  at  their  court,  whither  they  were 
now  cominced  he  had  not  come,  as  was  signified,  in  painted 
letters,  on  the  colours  of  the  ships  that  transported  the  embassy 
up  the  Pei-ho,    "  to  offer  tribute  to  the  Emperor  of  China." 

With  regard  to  the  inti'igues  of  the  Portuguese  missionaiy , 
mentioned  in  M.  Grammont's  letter,  Lord  Macartney  was 
sufficiently  awai-e  of  them,  long  before  his  arrival  in  the  capital, 
and  took  such  measures,  in  consequence  of  die  infonnation, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  13 

as  were  most  likely  to  be  effectual  in  count^ractiiig  any  influ- 
ence that  he  might  secretly  exert,  injurious  to  the  interests  of 
the  British  nation.  But  the  intrigues  of  churchmen  are  not 
always  easily  ob\'iated,  especially  where  they  are  suspicious  of 
their  errors  being  exposed,  or  their  ignorance  detected.  It 
is  a  painful  truth  (and  is  noticed  here  widi  reluctance,  on  ac- 
count of  the  many  worthy  members  of  the  society)  that  the 
ministers  of  a  ceilain  branch  of  a  religion,  whose  distinguish- 
ing feature  is  meekness  and  forbearance,  should  have  so  far 
perverted  the  intention  of  its  benevolent  author,  as  to  have 
produced  more  intiigues,  cabals,  and  ix^rsecutions,  than  even 
the  relentless  Miihomedans,  ^vhose  first  article  of  faith  incul- 
cates merit  in  desti'0}ing  those  of  a  different  i:)ersuasion. 
Their  political  intrigues,  and  interference  in  state  affairs,  have 
done  materiiil  injiny  to  the  cause  of  Christianit}',  in  almost 
every  countiy  into  which  theii'  missions  haxc  extended. 

The  malignant  spirit  of  this  same  Portuguese  missionary 
was  not  confined  to  tlie  f-aming  of  falsehoods  and  misrepre- 
sentations, ^^  ith  regard  to  tlie  views  of  the  British  embassy, 
but  has  continued  to  exert  its  influence  at  die  court  of  Pekin, 
in  the  same  secret  and  dishonourable  way,  ^vhcne\er  an  op- 
portunity occurred  tliat  seemed  favourable  for  raising  un\\'ar- 
rantable  suspicions  in  tlie  minds  of  the  Cliinese  against  the 
English  nation.  Towards  the  close  of  the  last  ^\'ar,  "v^'hen  it 
was  found  expedient  to  take  possession  of  some  of  the  Portu- 
guese colonies,  and  an  expedition  for  this  purpose  Mas  actu- 
ally sent  out  to  secure  the  peninsula  of  Macao,  this  missionaiy 
lost  no  time  in  suggesting  to  the  Chinese  court,  that  tlie  de- 
signs of  the  English,  in  getting  possession  of  Macao,  might 
be  of  the  same  nature  as  those  they  had  already  practised  in 
India  ;  and  that,  if  they  were  once  suffered  to  get  footing  in 
the  countn',  China  might  experience  the  same  fate  as  Hin- 
dostaii.  Fortunately  for  the  concerns  of  the  British  East 
India  Company,  this  oflicious  interference,  and  the  malevolent 
insinuations  of  Bernardo  Almeida,  took  a  ver}-  different  tuiTi 
fi*om  Avhat  he  had  expected.  The  intelligence  of  a  hostile 
force,  so  near  the  coast  of  China,  coming  first  from  an  Eu- 
ropean missionary,  implied  a  neglect  in  the  viceroy  of  Canton ; 
and  an  angTy  letter  was  addressed  to  him  fi-om  court,  order- 
ing him  to  give  immediate  and  accurate  information  on  the 
subject.  The  viceroy,  nettled  at  the  oflicious  zeal  of  the 
Portuguese,  positively  denied  the  fact  of  any  hostile  intention 


14  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

of  the  English,  ^'  who,  being  a  bra\e  peoj^le,  and  terrible  in 
*'  arms,  had  intimidated  the  Portuguese  at  Macao,  though 
"  \^  ithout  reason,  as  their  ships  of  war,  as  usual,  came  only  to 
"  protect  tlieir  ships  of  commerce  ag-ainst  their  enemies." 
When  this  dispatch  of  the  viceroy  reached  Pekin,  the  empe- 
ror was  so  exasperated,  to  think  diat  the  court  had  suffered  it- 
self to  be  misletl  by  an  European  missionar}-,  that  he  ordered 
Almeyda  to  appear  before  the  master  of  the  household,  and, 
on  his  knees,  to  ask  forgiveness  of  a  crime,  which,  he  was 
tdd,  deserved  to  be  punished  witli  deatli ;  and  he  was  dismis- 
sed, "with  a  caution,  never  more  to  interfere  with  the  state- 
aJEiirs  of  China.  The  whole  of  this  curious  transaction  is 
published  in  the  Pekin  gazette  of  last  year ;  so  that  the  Eng- 
lish have  gained  a  considerable  degree  of  reputation  by  it ; 
so  much,  indeed,  that  the  Chinese  at  Canton  (and  a  great  deal 
depends  upon  their  representations)  would  have  no  objection 
to  see  the  English  in  possession  of  Macao ;  for  they  cordially 
hate,  I  believe  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  they  despise,  the  Por- 
tuguese ;  and  tliey  speak  ^vith  hon'or  of  tlie  French.  What  a 
moment,  then,  is  this,  for  England  to  turn  to  its  advantage  1 

Independently,  however,  of  the  machinations  of  missiona- 
ries, such  is  the  pride  and  the  haughty  insolence  of  the  Chi- 
nese government,  that,  in  no  instance  on  record,  but  that  of 
the  British  embassy,  has  it  ever  relaxed  from  its  long-esta- 
blished customs,  nor  acquiesced  in  any  demands  of  foreign 
embassadors,  whether  the  tone  in  which  they  were  made  was 
supplicating  or  authoritati\e.  The  forms  of  the  court  they 
contend  to  be  as  immutable  as  were  die  la\\'s  of  tlie  Medes  and 
Persians.  E^'ely  thing  must  be  conducted  by  prescriptive 
usage ;  and  no  deviation  is  alloAved  from  the  rules  \\hich,  for 
ages,  ha\-e  been  established  by  law,  and  registered  by  the 
council  of  ordinances ;  much  less  the  remission  of  any  duty 
that  might  derogate  from  the  reverence  and  res}>ect  which  ai'e 
considered  to  be  due  to  the  person  of  the  emperor. 

It  may  be  imagined,  then,  that  an  event  so  new  as  a  refu- 
sal to  submit  to  the  degrading  ceremony  required  from  an 
embassador,  at  liis  public  introduction,  could  not  fail  of  mak- 
ing a  very  strong  impression  on  the  minds  of  those  about  the 
person  of  his  imperial  majesty;  who,  as  Mr.  Van  Braam 
says,  were  (and  A\ithout  doubt  they  A^ere)  much  better  satis- 
fied with  the  complying  temper  of  tlie  Dutch,  than  with  the 
inflexible  pertinacity  of  the  English.     Yet,  they  did  not  ven> 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  15 

ture  to  lodge  the  latter  in  a  stable,  nor  tliink  proper  to  perse- 
vere in  demanding  unreasonable  homage.  Neither  was  any 
pique  or  ill-nature  apparent  in  any  single  instance,  after  the 
departure  of  the  embassy  from  the  capital,  but  \'ei-}-  much  tlie 
contrary.  The  officers,  appointed  to  conduct  it  to  Canton,  tes- 
tified the  most  earnest  desire  to  please,  b}-  a  ready  attention  to 
every  minute  circumstance  that  might  add  to  die  comforts  of 
the  travellers,  or  allcAdate,  if  not  entirely  remove,  any  little 
inconvenience.  It  was  a  flattering  circumstance  to  the  em- 
bassador to  observe  their  anxiet}-  lor  the  finourable  opinion  of 
a  nation  they  had  no\v  begun  to  tiiink  more  highl}-  of,  and  of 
whom,  in  measuring  \\  ith  diemselves,  it  was  not  difficult  to 
perceive,  they  felt,  though  too  cautious  to  a\ow,  tlie  supe- 
riority. 

The  British  embassy  was  a  measure  ^vliich  it  was  absolutely 
necessar}'  to  adopt,  for  reasons  tliat  are  stated,  at  full  length, 
in  the  first  chapter  of  Sir  George  Staunton's  ^■aluable  \\  ork ; 
and  the  foundation  it  has  laid,  for  future  advantages,  more  than 
counterbalances  the  trifling  expence  it  occasioned  to  the  East 
India  Company,  which  did  not  exceed  two  per  cent,  on  the 
annual  amount  of  their  trade  from  Engkuid  to  Canton.  Those 
who  had  formed  immoderate  expectations  must  have  little  un- 
derstood the  laws  and  customs  of  Cliina,  which  admit  not  the 
system  of  mutual  intercourse  between  distant  nations,  by  means 
of  embassadors  or  resident  ministers  at  the  respecti\^e  courts. 
Their  custom  is  to  rccei\e  embassadors  with  respect  and  hos- 
pitality ;  to  consider  them  as  visitors  to  the  cmpci'or,  and  to 
entcitain  them,  accordingly,  as  liis  particular  guests,  from 
die  moment  they  enter  the  country  till  they  return  to  die 
boundaiies  of  his  empire.  This  being  necessarily  attended 
with  aji  enormous  expence,  *  the  court  of  ceremonies  has 
prescribed  forty  da}'s  for  the  residence  of  foreign  embassadors, 
eitlier  in  the  capital,  or  where\'er  the  court  ma}-  happen  to  be ; 
though,  on  particular  occasions,  or  by  accident,  the  term  may 
boiijictimes  be  extended  to  double  that  time. 

Thus,  by  consulting  the  accoimts  of  the  diflferent  European 
embassies  that  have  been  sent  to  China  in  die  two  last  centu- 
ries, it  will  be  found  diat  the  residence  of  none  of  them  wiis 
extended  to  diiice  die  term  fixed  by  the  court  of  ceremonies ; 
and  t^\•o  of  them  did  not  remain  the  period  allo\\cd. 

•  The  exi)ence  occasioned  to  tlie  coiu^  of  Cliina  by  the  British  embassr,  will 
be  stated  in  a  subsequent  ch-aplcr. 


16  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

The  first  embassy,  sent  by  the  Dutch,  arrived  in  Pekint 
the  17th  July,  1656,  and  departed  the  16th  October  follow- 
ing ;  having  remained  ninet}'-one  days. 

The  second  Dutch  embassy  arri\-ed  in  Pekin  the  20th  June, 
1667 ;  and  departed  tlie  5th  August ;  having  resided  forty-six 
days. 

The  first  Russian  embassy  arrived  at  the  capital  on  the  5th 
November,  1692,  and  left  it  on  the  17th  Februarys,  1693; 
having  remained  there  one  hundred  and  six  days. 

The  second  Russian  embassy  arri^'ed  at  Pekin  on  the  18th 
November,  1720,  and  did  not  lea\e  it  till  the  2d  March, 
1721 ;  being  one  hundi'ed  and  fourteen  days. 

These  tAvo  embassies  were  immediately  connected  with  the 
commercial  concerns  of  the  two  nations,  \Ahich  \vere  then 
transacted  in  the  capital  of  China,  but  now  confined  to  the  ad- 
joining fi'ontiers.  ' 

The  Pope's  embassy  anived  in  Pekin  on  the  15th  Decem- 
ber, 1720,  and  departed  the  24tii  March,  1721;  being  ninety- 
nine  days. 

The  Portuguese  embassy  entered  Pekin  tlie  1st  May,  1753, 
and  left  it  the  8th  June  following ;  being  only  thiity-nine  days. 

The  British  embassy  arrived  in  Pekm  the  21st  August, 
1793,  and  depaited  the  7th  October;  being  forty-se^^en  days. 

The  third  Dutch  embassy  entered  the  capital  the  lOtli  Ja- 
nuar}',  1795,  and  left  it  the  15tli  February ;  bemg  thirty-six 
days. 

On  the  AA  hole,  then,  it  may  be  concluded,  that  neither  M. 
Grammont,  nor  they  "\\^ho  conceived  that  an  unconditional 
and  sen  ile  compliance,  on  die  pait  of  the  British  embassador, 
would  liaA^e  been  productive  of  more  favourable  results,  were 
right  in  their  conjectures.  On  the  contrary',  it  m.ay,  perhaps, 
be  rather  laid  doAMi  as  a  certain  consequence,  that  a  tone  of 
submission,  and  a  tame  and  passive  obedience  to  the  degrad- 
ing demands  of  this  haughty  court,  ser^-e  only  to  feed  its 
pride,  and  add  to  the  absurd  notions  of  its  oami  vast  im- 
portance. 


CHAP.  II. 

OCCURRENCES  AND  OBSERVATIONS  IN  THE  NAVIGATION  OF 
THE  YELLOW  SEA,  AND  THE  PASSAGE  UP  THE  PEI-HO,  OR 
WHITE  RIVER. 


Different  Testimonies  that  have  been  given  of  the  Cliinese  Character. — Compa- 
rison of  China  with  Europe,  in  the  sixteentli  Century. — Motives  of  tlie  Mission- 
aries in  their  Writings. — British  Embassy  passes  the  Straits  of  Formosa. — Ap- 
pearance of  a  Ta-fung'. — Chusan  Islands. — Instance  of  Chinese  Amplification. — 
Various  Chinese  Vessels. — System  of  their  Navigation — their  Compass,  proba- 
bly of  Scythian  orig'in — foreig-n  Voyages  of — Traces  of  Chinese  in  America — 
in  an  Island  of  the  Tartarian  Sea — in  the  Persian  Gulph — traded  probably  as 
far  as  Madagascar. — Commerce  of  the  Tvrians. — Reasons  for  conjecturing  that 
the  Hottentots  may  have  derived  their  Origin  from  China. — Malays  of  the  same 
Descent  as  the  Chinese. — Curious  Coincidences  in  the  Customs  of  these  and  the 
Suniatrans. --Cingalese  of  Cliinese  Origin. --One  of  the  Brigs  dispatched  to  Chu-san 
for  Pilots. — Rapid  Currents  amongtlie  Islands. — Visit  to  the  Governor. — Difficul- 
ties in  procuring  Pilots. — Arbitrary  Proceeding  of  the  Governor. — Pilots  puzzled 
with  our  Compass. — Ignorance  of. — Arrive  in  the  Gulph  of  Pe-tehe-lee. — Visit  of 
two  Officers  from  Court,  and  their  Present. — Enter  the  Pei-ho,  and  embark  in 
convenient  Yachts. — Accommodating  Conduct  of  the  two  Officers. — Profusion 
of  Provisions. — Appearance  of  the  country — of  the  People. — Dress  of  the  Wo- 
men. — Remarks  on  their  small  Feet. — Chinese  an  uncleanly  and  frowzy  People, 
— Immense  Crowds  of  People  and  River  Craft  at  Tien-Sing. — Decent  and  pre- 
possessing Conduct  of  the  Muhitude. — Musical  Air  sung  by  the  Rowers  of  the 
Yachts. — Favourable  Traits  in  the  Chinese  Character. — Face  and  Products  of 
the  Country. — Multitudes  of  People,  Inhabitants  of  the  Water. — Another  In- 
stance of  arbitrary  Power. — Disembark  at  Tong  Tchoo,  and  are  lodged  in  a 
Temple. 

"IF  any  man  should  make  a  collection  of  all  the  inven- 
"  tions,  and  all  the  productions,  that  e\x'iy  nation,  ^vhich  now 
"  is,  or  ever  has  been,  upon  the  face  of  the  globe,  the  whole 
*'  would  fall  fiu-  short,  either  as  to  number  or  quiiiity,  of  what 
"  is  to  be  met  vn  ith  in  China."  These,  or  something  similai', 
are  the  words  of  the  learned  Isaac  Vossius. 

The  testimony  given  b}'  the  celebrated  authors  of  the  Ency- 
clopedie  des  Connoissances  Humaines  is  almost  equally  strong ; 

c 


18  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

"  The  Chinese  Avho,  by  common  consent,  are  superior  to  all 
*'  the  Asiatic  nations,  in  antiquity,  in  genius,  in  the  progress 
"  of  tlie  sciences,  in  wisdom,  in  government,  and  in  true  phi- 
"  losophy;  may,  moreover,  in  the  opinion  of  some  authors, 
"  enter  the  Hsts,  on  all  these  points,  vnxh  the  most  enlightened 
"  nations  of  Europe." 

Hovv  flattering,  then,  and  gratifying,  must  it  l"iave  been  to 
the  feelings  of  those  few  favoured  persons,  vvho  bad  the  good 
fortune  to  be  admitted  into  the  suite  of  the  British  embassador, 
then  prepaiing  to  proceed  to  the  comt  of  that  sovereign  who 
held  the  government  of  such  an  extraordinary  nation !  How 
gi'catly  must  they  have  enjo)-ed  the  prospect  of  experiencing, 
in  their  ovvii  persons,  all  that  v\as  virtuous,  and  povverful,  and 
gi'and,  and  magnificent,  concentrated  in  one  point — in  tlie 
city  of  Pekin ! 

And  if  any  doubts  might  have  arisen,  on  consideration  that 
neither  the  learned  canon  of  ^Vindsor,  nor  the  celebrated 
authors  of  the  Enc}xlop6die,  were  ever  in  Cliina ;  that  the 
first  was  wonderfully  given  to  the  marvellous,  and  the  latter 
Iiad  no  other  authorities  than  those  of  the  Jesuits,  and  other 
missionaries  for  propagating  the  Christian  faith  ;  yet,  such 
doubts  were  more  inclined  to  yield  to  the  favourable  side,  as 
being  supported  by  the  almost  unanimous  concurrence  of  a 
multitude  of  testimonies,  contained  in  the  relations  that  have, 
at  various  times,  been  published,  not  onl}'  by  the  missiona- 
ries, but  also  by  some  other  travellers. 

The  late  Sir  William  Jones,  indeed,  5\  ho  deservedly  took 
the  lead  in  Orient-al  literature,  had  observed,  in  speaking  of 
the  Chinese,  that  "  By  some  they  have  been  extolled,  as  the 
"  oldest  and  wisest,  as  the  most  learned,  and  most  ingeni- 
*'  ous,  of  nations;  whilst  others  have  derided  their  preten- 
"  sions  to  antiquit}",  condemned  their  government  as  abo- 
*'  minable,  and  arraigned  their  manners  as  inliuman ;  without 
"  allowing  them  an  element  of  science,  or  a  single  art,  for 
"  which  they  have  not  been  indebted  to  some  more  ancient 
"  and  more  civilized  race  of  men." 

It  is  true,  also,  the  reseaiehes  of  Mr.  Pauw,  the  sagacious 
philosopher  of  Berlin,  and  the  narrative  of  the  elegant  and  im- 
pressive vvTiter  of  Lord  Anson's  voyage,  convey  to  the  rea- 
der's mind  no  very  favourable  ideas  of  the  Chinese  character ; 
yet,  as  the  enquiries  of  the  one  vv  ere  entered  upon  in  a  spirit 
of  controversy,  and  directed  to  one  single  point,  and  the  an- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  19 

thor,  as  justly  has  been  observed  of  him,  delights  sometimes 
to  take  a  sAvim  against  the  stream,  many  deductions  A\-cre 
clearly  to  be  made  from  the  conclusions  of  Mr.  ^imw.  And 
with  regard  to  the  narrati\'e  of  Mr.  Robins,  it  may  be  remai-k- 
ed,  that,  to  decide  upon  the  general  character  of  the  Chinese, 
from  the  dealings  Lord  Anson  had  with  them  in  the  port  of 
Cmiton,  would  be  as  unfair  as  it  w  ould  be  thought  presunip- 
tuous  in  a  foreigner  to  draw  the  character  of  our  oavii  nation 
from  a  casual  visit  to  Falmouth,  Killybcggs,  or  Aberdeen. 
The  same  remark  A\ill  apj^ly  to  the  accounts  giAcn  of  this  nation 
by  Torccn,  Osbeck,  Sonncrat,  and  some  others,  \\ho  have 
visited  Ciuiton  in  trading  ships ;  none  of  whom  were  five 
hundred  yai'ds  beyond  the  limits  of  the  European  factories. 

It  would  also  ha\'e  been  highly  illiberal  to  suppose,  that  a 
body  of  men,  remarkable,  as  the  early  Jesuit  missionaries 
were  thought  to  be,  for  probit)-,  talent,  and  disinterestedness, 
should  studiously  sit  down  to  compose  fabrications,  for  the 
mere  puipose  of  deceiving  the  world.  E\'en  Voltaire,  who 
had  little  partialit}'  for  the  sacerdotal  character,  is  A\-illing  to 
admit,  that  their  relations  ought  to  be  considered  as  the  pro^ 
ductions  of  the  most  intelligent  travellers  that  have  extended 
and  embellished  the  fields  of  science  and  philosophy.  This 
remai'k,  \vith  proper  allowances  being  made  for  the  age  in 
which  they  were  \\  ritten,  may  perhaps  be  applied  to  the  nar- 
ratives of  the  early  missions  to  China,  though  not  exactly  to 
some  others  of  a  more  modern  date.  All  the  praises  bestoAV- 
ed  by  tlie  former  on  this  nation,  the  latter,  it  would  seem, 
have,  injudiciously,  considered  themselves  bound  to  justify ; 
without  taking  into  account  the  progressive  improAcments  of 
Europe  A\"ithin  the  last  century  and  a  half. 

That  Cliina  was  civilized,  to  a  certain  degree,  before  most 
of  die  nations  of  I^urope,  not  CAcn  Greece  excepted,  is  a  fact 
that  A\-ill  not  adniit  of  a  doubt ;  but  that  it  has  contiiuied  to 
improve,  so  as  still  to  \ie  with  many  of  the  present  European 
states,  as  the  missionm'ies  would  have  it  supposed,  is  not,  by 
any  means,  so  clear.  From  the  middle  to  the  end  of  tlic  six- 
teenth century,  compared  with  Europe  in  general,  it  had 
gready  the  superiority,  if  not  in  science,  at  least  in  arts  and 
manufactures,  in  the  co'nvenitncies  and  die  luxuries  of  life. 
The  Chinese  A\ere,  at  that  period,  prett}'-  much  in  die  same 
state  in  \\hich  they  still  are ;  and  in  A\'hich  diey  are  likely  to 
continue.    When  die  first  Europeans  visited  China,  they  were 


20  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

astonished  to  find  an  uni\'ersal  toleration  of  religious  opinion ; 
to  observe  Lamas  and  Tao-tzes,  Jews,  Persees,  and  Maho- 
medans,  living  quietly  together,  and  each  folloA\  ing  his  own 
creed,  \^  ithout  molestation  ;  \\  hilst  most  of  the  countries  in 
Europe  were,  at  that  time,  torn  in  pieces  by  religious  schisms ; 
and  man  was  labouring,  i^ith  entliusiastic  fur}",  to  destroy  his 
fellow-creatures,  in  honour  of  his  Creator,  for  a  slight  differ- 
ence of  opinion  in  matters  of  no  real  importance,  or  even  for 
a  different  acceptation  of  a  word.  In  China,  every  one  was 
ailo^\'ed  to  think  as  he  pleased,  and  to  chuse  his  own  religion. 
The  hoiTid  massacre  of  tlie  protestants,  in  Paiis,  had  terrified 
all  Europe.  China  knew  nothing  of  internal  commotions,  but 
such  as  were  sometimes  occasioned  by  a  partial  scarcity  of 
grain.  The  art  of  improving  vegetables,  by  paiticular  modes 
of  culture,  was  just  beginning  to  be  known  in  Europe.  All 
China,  at  that  time,  ^^•as  comparatively  a  gaixlen.  When  tlie 
king  of  France  introduced  the  luxury  of  silk  stockings,  which, 
about  eighieen  years  afterwards,  was  adopted  by  Elizabeth 
of  Engiand,  the  peasantry  of  the  middle  provinces  of  China 
v/ere  clothed  in  silks,  from  head  to  foot.  At  this  period,  few 
or  none  of  the  little  eleg-ancies  or  conveniencies  of  life  were 
kiiOMii  in  Europe ;  the  ladies'  toilet  had  few  essences  to  gratify 
the  sense  of  smell,  or  to  beautify,  for  a  time,  the  complexion ; 
the  scissars,  needles,  pen-knives,  and  other  little  appendages, 
were  then  unknown  ;  and  rude  and  ill-poiished  skewers  usurp- 
ed the  place  of  pins.  In  China,  the  ladies  had  their  needle- 
work, their  paint-boxes,  their  trinkets  of  ivory,  of  silver  in 
fiilagree,  of  mother-pearl,  and  of  tortoise-shell.  E-v^en  the 
calendar,  at  tiiis  time  so  defective  in  Europe,  in  which  Pope 
Gregoiy  was  urged  to  the  bold  undertaking  of  leaping  over  or 
annihilating  ten  days,  was  found  to  be,  in  China,  a  national 
concern,  and  the  particular  cai'e  of  government.  Decimal 
arithmetic,  a  ne^v  and  useful  discovery  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tuiy  in  Europe,  was  the  only  system  of  arithmetic  in  use  in 
China.  In  a  word,  when  the  nobility  of  England  \^  ere  sleep- 
ing on  stra"w,  a  peasant  of  China  had  his  mat  and  his  pillow ; 
and  the  man  in  office  enjoyed  his  silken  matti'css.  One  can- 
not, therefore,  be  surprised  if  the  impressions  made  upon 
these  holy  men  were  powerfully  felt,  or  if  their  descriptions 
should  seem  to  incline  a  little  towards  the  marvellous.  Nor 
may,  perhaps,  their  relations  be  found  to  be  much  embellished, 
on  a  %ir  comparison  of  the  state  of  China  ^\l\h  that  of  Eu- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  21 

rope  in  general,  from  the  year  1560,  to  the  close  of  the  same 
century. 

These  religious  men,  however,  might  ha^'e  had  their  mo- 
tives for  setting  this  Avonderfiil  people  in  the  fairest  point  of 
view.  The  more  powerful  and  magnificent,  the  more  learned 
and  refined  they  represented  this  nation  to  be,  the  greater 
vv'ould  be  their  triumpli  in  the  event  of  their  effecting  a  change 
of  the  national  faith.  It  may  also  have  occurred  to  tliem,  that 
common  prudence  required  they  should  speak  fa\ourably,  at 
least,  of  a  nation,  under  whose  power  and  protection  they  had 
voluntarily  placed  themselves  for  life.  There  is  every  reason 
to  suppose,  that,  in  general,  thc}^  mean  to  tell  the  truth,  but, 
by  suppressing  some  part  of  it,  or  by  telling  it  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  if  thev  expected  it  A\'Ould  one  day  get  back  to  China  in 
tlie  language  of  that  country,  tlieir  accounts  often  appear  to 
be  contradictoi-}-  in  themselves.  In  the  same  breath  that  they 
extol  the  A\onderful  strength  of  filial  piety,  they  speak  of  the 
common  practices  of  exposing  infants  ;  the  strict  morality  and 
ceremonious  conduct  of  the  people  are  followed  by  a  list  of 
the  most  gross  debaucheries ;  the  \'irtues  and  the  philosophy 
of  the  learned  are  explained  by  their  ignorance  and  their  vices. 
If,  in  one  page,  they  spealv  of  the  excessive  fertility  of  the 
countiy,  and  the  amazing  extension  of  agi'iculture,  in  the 
next,  thousands  are  seen  perishing  by  want ;  and  whilst  they 
extol  with  admiration  the  progress  the}"  ha\e  made  in  the  arts 
and  sciences,  they  plainly  infonn  us  that,  without  the  aid  of 
foreigners,  thev  can  neither  cast  a  cannon  nor  ailculate  an 
eclipse. 

Upon  the  whole,  however,  the  British  embassy  left  Eng- 
land under  a  fa\ourable  impression  of  the  people  it  v/as  about 
to  A'isit.  \\^hether  the  expectations  of  all  those  who  composed 
it,  independent  of  any  political  consideration,  were  realized, 
or  ended  in  disappointment,  may  partly  be  collected  from  the 
following  pages.  The  opinions  they  contain  are  di'awn  from 
such  incidents  and  anecdotes  as  occuiTcd  in  the  course  of  an 
eight  months  visit,  and  from  such  as  seemed  best  calculated 
to  illustrate  the  condition  of  the  people,  the  national  character, 
and  the  natiu'e  of  tb.e  goNcniment.  A  short  residence  in  the 
imperial  palace  of  Yiien-min-yuen,  a  gi'cater  shai'c  of  liberty 
than  is  usually  pennitted  to  strangers  in  this  country,  \'.dth  the 
assistance  of  some  litde  knowledge  of  the  language,  afforded 
me  the  means  of  collecting  the  facts  and  obser\'ations  Avlath  I 


22  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

now  lay  before  the  public ;  and  in  tlie  relation  of  wliich  I  have 
endeavoured  to  adhere  to  that  excellent  rule  of  our  immortal 
poet, 

"  Notliing  extenuate, 

"  Nor  set  down  aught  in  malice." 

And  as  the  qualities  of  good  and  evil,  excellence  and  medio- 
crity, in  any  nation,  can  only  be  fairly  estimated  by  a  com- 
parison M'ith  those  of  the  same  kind  in  others,  ^vherever  a  si- 
militude or  a  contrast  in  the  Chinese  character  or  customs  with 
those  of  any  other  people,  tmcient  or  modern,  occurred  to  my 
recollection,  I  have  considered  it  as  not  wholly  uninteresting 
to  note  the  relation  or  disaOTcemcnt. 

The  dispatches  from  China,  received  by  the  British  embas- 
sador on  his  arrival  at  Batavia,  communicated  the  agreeable 
intelligence  that  his  imperial  majesty  had  been  pleased,  by  a 
pul^lic  edict,  not  only  to  declare  his  entire  satisfaction  with  the 
intended  ei^ibassy,  but  that  he  had  likewise  issued  strict  or- 
ders to  the  commanding  officers  of  the  several  ports,  along  the 
coast  of  the  Yellow  Sea,  to  be  particularly  careful  that  pilots 
should  be  read}%  at  a  moment's  notice,  to  conduct  the  English 
squadron  to  I'lensing,  the  nearest  port  to  tlie  capital,  or  to  any 
other  which  might  L'e  considered  as  more  convenient  and  suit- 
able for  the  Britisli  ships. 

By  this  communication  a  point  of  some  difficulty  was  now 
considered  to  be  removed.  It  was  deemed  a  desirable  cir- 
cumstance to  be  furnished  with  the  means  of  proceeding  di- 
rectly to  Pekin  through  the  Yellow  Sea,  and  thus  to  avoid  any 
intercourse  with  the  ]>ort  of  Canton ;  as  it  was  ^vell  kno^vn  the 
principal  officers  of  the  go\^ernment  there  Avere  prepai'ed  to 
throw  every  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  embassy,  and  if  not 
effectually  to  prevent,  at  least  to  counteract,  any  representa- 
tions that  might  be  made  at  the  imperial  court,  '^vith  regard  to 
the  abuses  that  exist  in  the  administration  of  the  public  affiiirs 
at  that  place,  and  more  especially  to  the  exactions  and  impo- 
sitions to  which  the  commercial  establisjiments  are  liable,  of 
the  different  nations,  whose  subjects  liave  established  flietories 
in  this  southern  emporium  of  China.  It  could  not  be  sup- 
posed, indeed,  that  their  endeavours  would  be  less  exerted, 
in  this  pjir-ticular  instance,  than  on  all  former  occasions  of  a 
similar  nature. 

Tlie  navigation  of  tlic  Yellow  Sea,  as  yet  entirely  unknown 
to  any  I'.uropean  nationj  ^\"as  considered  as  a  subject  of  some 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  23 

importance,  from  the  infomiation  it  A\oiild  aflbrd  the  means  of 
supph' ing,  and  "\^  hich,  on  any  future  occasion,  might  not  only 
lessen  the  dangers  of  an  unkno\vn  passiige,  but  prevent  also 
much  delay,  by  superseding  die  riccessity  of  running  into  dif- 
ferent ports  in  search  of  Chinese  pilots,  whom,  by  experience, 
we  afterAvards  foinid  to  be  more  dangerous  than  useful. 

We  passed  dirough  the  sti-ait  (3f  t'ormosa,  without  seeing 
any  part  of  the  main  land  of  China,  or  of  the  island  froni 
whence  die  strait  derives  its  name,  except  a  high  point  towards 
the  northern  extrcmitw  The  A\'eather,  indeed,  during  three 
successive  days,  the  25th,  26th,  and  27th  July,  was  so  dai'k 
and  gloomy,  that  the  e}e  could  scarcely  discern  the  largest  ob- 
jects at  the  distance  of  a  mile,  }-et  the  diennometer  A\as  from 
80  to  83  deg.  the  gi-eater  pait  of  these  days.  A  heavy  and  al- 
most incessant  tall  of  rain  A\as  accompanied  widi  Aiolent  squalls 
of  ^^'ind,  and  frequent  bursts  of  diunder  and  flashes  of  light- 
ning ;  \\-hich,  \\  ith  the  cross  and  confused  s^^•ell  in  tlie  sea, 
made  the  passage  not  only  uncomfortably  irksome,  but  also 
cxtremcl}'  dangerous,  on  account  of  the  miuiy  islands  inter- 
spersed in  almost  eveiy  pait  of  the  strait. 

On  the  evening  of  the  25th  the  sun  set  in  a  bajik  of  fog, 
which  made  the  \\  hole  \\-esteni  side  of  the  horizon  look  like  a 
blaze  of  fire,  and  the  bai*ometer  M-as  obser\ed  to  have  M\en 
near  one  third  of  an  inch,  which,  in  these  latitudes  and  at  sea, 
is  considered  as  a  certain  indication  of  a  cliange  of  weather. 
There  v.erc  on  boai'd  some  Chinese  fishermen,  who  had  Ixen 
driven  out  to  sea  in  one  of  the  East  India  company's  ships, 
which  we  met  with  in  the  straits  of  Sunda.  These  men  assur- 
ed us  that  the  appearance  of  the  hea\ens  prognosticated  one  of 
those  tremendous  gales  of  Axind  Axhich  are  well  knoAMi  to 
Europeans  by  the  name  of  Ty-phoon,  and  \x  liich  some  inge- 
nious and  learned  men  have  supposed  to  be  the  same  as  the 
Typhon  of  the  Egyptians,  or  Tvcput  of  the  Gi'ceks.  The 
Chinese,  hoAxever,  ha^e  made  use  of  no  mythological  allu- 
sion, in  naming  this  huiTicane.  They  call  it  Ta-fung,  which 
literally  signifies  a gi"eat  ^ind.  The  wind  was  certainly  high 
the  whole  of  the  night  and  the  follo"\\'ing  da}',  the  thunder  and 
lightning  dreadfi.il,  and  the  Aariable  squalls  and  rain  frequent 
and  heavy ;  the  depth  of  the  sea  from  25  to  30  fathoms. 

The  charts,  howcAcr,  of  this  passage  into  the  Yellox\'  Sea, 
constructed  by  Europeans  a\  hen  the  Chinese  pennitted  foreign 
nations  to  trade  to  Chu-san,  are  considered  as  sufiiciendy  ex- 


24  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

act  for  skilful  na\igators  to  avoid  the  dangerous  rocks  and 
islands.  By  tiie  help  of  these  chails  our  squadron  ventured 
to  stand  through  tlie  still  more  intricate  and  narrow  passages  of 
the  Chu-san  Archipelago,  A\here,  in  the  cont  nictedspaceof 
about  eight  hundred  squLU'e  leagues,  the  surface  of  the  sea  is 
studded  '^^ith  a  cluster,  consisting,  nearly,  of  four  hundred 
distinct  islands. 

These  islands  appeared  to  us,  in  sailing  among  them,  to  be 
mostly  uninhabited,  extremely  biin^en  of  trees  or  shrubs,  and 
m>any  of  them  destitute  even  of  herbage,  or  ^-erdure  of  any 
kind.  In  some  of  the  creeks  we  perceived  a  number  of  boats, 
and  other  small  craft,  at  the  upper  ends  of  w-lxich  were  villages 
composed  of  mean-looking  huts,  the  dA^ellings  m.ost  probably 
of  fishermen,  as  there  was  no  appearance  of  cultivated  ground 
near  them  to  furnish  their  inhabitants  Vvitli  the  means  of  sub- 
sistence. 

The  squadron  having  di"opped  anchor,  we  landed  on  one  of 
the  largest  of  these  islands ;  and  wiiiked  a  very  considerable 
distance  before  ^ve  saw  a  human  being.  At  length,  in  de- 
scending a  \allcy,  in  the  bottom  of  VA'hich  was  a  small  village, 
we  fell  in  ^vith  a  young  peasant,  whom,  with  some  difficulty, 
by  m^eans  of  an  inteq^reter,  we  engaged  in  conversation. 
EmbaiTassed  in  thus  suddenly  meeting  with  strangers,  so  dif- 
ferent from  his  ov.ti  countrymen,  in  dress,  in  features,  and 
complexion,  liis  timidity  might  almost  be  said  to  assume  the 
appearance  of  terror.  He  soon,  ho\\ever,  g-ained  confidence, 
and  became  communicati\e.  He  assured  us  that  the  island  on 
which  Ave  ^vere,  and  of  which  he  Avas  a  native,  was  the  best 
in  the  whole  groupe,  and  the  most  populous,  except  tliat  of 
Chu-san ;  the  number  of  its  inhabitants  being  ten  thousand 
souls.  It  was  discovered,  ho^^■ever,  before  we  had  been  long 
in  the  countn',  that  Avhen  a  Chinese  made  use  of  the  monosyl- 
lable VAN,  which  in  his  language  signifies  ten  thousand,  he 
was  not  to  be  understood  as  speaking  of  a  determinate  or  pre- 
cise number,  ])ut  only  as  m.aking  use  of  a  term  that  implied 
amplilication.  A  state  criminal,  for  example,  is  generally 
condemned  to  urxdergo  the  punishment  of  being  cut  into  ten 
tliousand  pieces ;  die  great  wall  of  Chma  is  called  the  van-lee- 
tchin,  or  wall  of  ten  thousand  lee,  or  tliree  diousand  English 
miles ;  a  length  just  double  to  that  which  the  most  authentic 
accounts  have  given  of  it.  But  when  he  means  to  inform  any 
one  tliat  tlie  eriiperor  has  ten  thousand  ku'ge  \essels,  for  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  2S 

purpose  of  collecting  taxes  paid  in  kind,  on  the  gi-and  c?.nal, 
instead  of  the  monosyllable  van  he  invaiiably  makes  use  of 
the  expression  nine  thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine,  as 
conveying  a  fixed  and  definite  number,  and,  in  this  case,  he 
will  be  understood  to  signify  literally  ten  thousand.  In  this 
manner,  I  suppose,  ^ve  were  to  understand  the  population  of 
tlie  island  Lo-ong. 

At  the  sight  of  our  large  ships,  so  different  in  tlieir  appear- 
ance from  any  of  those  belonging  to  the  Chinese,  a  vast 
number  of  boats,  issuing  from  every  creek  and  cove,  pre- 
sently crowded  together,  in  such  a  manner,  and  with  so  little 
management,  as  to  render  it  difficult  to  pass  through,  \\'ith- 
out  danger  of  oversetting  or  sinking  some  of  them ;  a  danger, 
however,  to  which  they  seemed  quite  insensible.  Vessels  of 
a  larger  description,  and  various  in  the  shape  of  their  hulls  and 
rigging,  from  twenty  tons  binxlen  and  upwards,  to  about  two 
hundred  tons,  ^vcre  obser\'ed  in  considerable  niunbers,  sailing 
along  the  coast  of  the  continent,  laden  generally  ^\ith  small 
timber,  wliich  \\'as  piled  to  such  a  height  upon  their  decks, 
that  no  extraordinarj'  force  of  ^vind  would  seem  to  be  required 
to  overturn  them.  Beams  of  wood,  and  other  pieces  that  were 
too  long  to  be  received  upon  the  deck  of  a  single  ship,  A^^ere 
laid  across  the  decks  of  t^o  \'cssels  lashed  together.  We  saw 
at  least  a  hundi'ed  couple  thus  laden  in  one  fleet,  keeping  close 
in  with  the  coast,  in  order  to  be  read}%  in  case  of  bad  ^veather, 
to  put  into  the  nearest  port ;  being  ill  calculated  to  resist  a  storm 
at  sea.  The  ships,  indeed,  that  are  destined  for  longer  voy- 
ages, appear,  from  their  singular  construction,  to  be  very  un- 
fit to  contend  \vith  the  tempestuous  seas  of  China.  The  ge- 
neral form  of  the  hull,  or  body  of  tlie  ship,  above  water,  is  tliat 
of  the  moon,  wlien  about  four  days  old.  The  boA\',  or  fore- 
part, is  not  rounded  as  in  ships  of  Europe,  but  is  a  square  flat 
surface,  the  same  as  the  stern  ;  without  any  projecting  piece  of 
wood,  usually  known  by  the  name  of  cutwater,  and  without 
any  keel.  On  each  side  of  the  boAV  a  large  circular  eye  is 
painted,  in  imitation,  I  suppose,  of  that  of  a  fish.  The  two 
ends  of  tlie  ship  rise  to  a  prodigious  height  abo\e  the  deck. 
Some  cany  two^  some  three,  and  others  four  masts.  Each 
of  these  consists  of  a  single  piece  of  wood,  and  consequently 
not  capable  of  Ixing  occasionally  reduced  in  length,  as  those 
of  European  shij)s.  The  diameter  of  the  mainniiist  of  one  oS* 
the  larger  kind  of  Chinese  vessels,  such  as  trade  to  Batavia,  is 

D 


26  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

not  less  than  tliat  of  an  English  man  of  ^\■ar  of  sixt}'-four  gims ; 
and  it  is  fixed  in  a  bed  of  massi\'e  timber  laid  across  the  deck. 
On  each  mast  is  a  single  sail  of  matting,  made  from  the  fibres 
of  the  bamboo,  and  stretched  by  means  of  poles  of  that  reed, 
running  across,  at  the  distance  of  about  two  feet  from  each 
other.  These  sails  ai'c  frequently  made  to  furl  and  unfurl  like 
a  fan.  When  Avell  hoisted  up,  and  braced  almost  fore  and  aft, 
or  pai-allel  ^\ith  the  sides  of  the  ship,  a  Chinese  vessel  will  sail 
"vntliin  three  and  a  half  or  four  points  of  the  wind ;  but  they 
lose  all  this  ad^^antage  o^er  ships  of  Europe  by  their  drifting 
to  leeward,  in  consequence  of  the  round  and  clumsy  shape  of 
the  bottom,  and  their  v\ant  of  keel.  The  rudder  is  so  placed, 
in  a  large  opening  of  the  stern,  that  it  can  occasionally  be 
taken  up,  which  is  generally  done  on  approaching  sands  and 
shalloAvs. 

Tlie  Chinese,  in  fact,  are  equally  unskilled  in  naval  arclii- 
tecture,  as  in  the  art  of  navigation.  They  keep  no  reckoning 
at  sea,  nor  possess  the  least  idea  of  drawing  imaginar}^  lines 
upon  the  surface  of  tlie  globe,  by  the  help  of  which  the  posi- 
tion of  any  paiticular  spot  may  be  assigned ;  in  other  words, 
they  have  no  means  v/hatsoever  of  ascertaining  the  latitude  or 
the  longitude  of  any  place,  either  by  estimation  from  the  dis- 
tance sailed,  or  by  observation  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  with  in- 
sti'uments  for  that  purpose.  Yet  they  pretend  to  say,  that 
many  of  their  early  navigators  made  long  voyages,  in  Avhich 
they  "were  guided  by  chaits  of  the  route,  sometimes  drawn  on 
paper,  and  sometimes  on  the  convex  surface  of  lai-ge  gourds 
or  pumpkins.  From  tliis  circumstance,  some  of  the  Jesuits 
have  inferred,  that  such  chans  must  have  been  more  correct 
than  those  on  flat  surfaces.  If,  indeed,  the  portion  of  the 
convex  surface,  employed  for  the  purpose,  vi^as  die  segment 
of  a  sphei'e,  and  occupied  a  space  liavmg  a  comparative  rela- 
tion to  that  pait  of  the  surface  of  the  earth  sailed  over,  the  in- 
ference might  be  allowable ;  but  this  would  be  to  suppose  a 
degree  of  knowledge  to  which,  it  does  not  appear,  the  Chinese 
had  at  any  time  attained,  it  being  among  them,  in  eveiy  pe- 
riod of  tlieir  liistoiy,  an  universally  received  opinion,  that  the 
earth  is  a  square,  and  that  the  kingdom  of  Cliina  is  placed  in 
the  very  center  of  its  flat  surface. 

The  present  system  of  Chinese  navigation  is  to  keep  as  near 
tlie  shore  as  possible  ;  and  never  to  lose  sight  of  land,  unless 
in  voyages  tliat  absolutely  requi):e  it ;  such  as  to  Japan,  Batavia, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  27 

aiid  Cochin-China.  Knowing  the  bcaiing  or  direction  of  the 
port  intended  to  be  made,  let  the  wind  be  fair  or  foul,  they 
endeavour,  as  nearly  as  possible,  to  keep  the  head  of  the  ship 
al^vays  pointing  towiirds  the  port,  bj'  means  of  the  compass. 
This  instriniient,  as  used  in  China,  lias  every  appeai'ance  of 
originality.  The  natives  know  nothing,  from  history  or  tra- 
dition, of  its  first  introduction  or  discovery ;  and  the  use  of 
the  magnet,  for  indicating  the  ]3oles  of  the  earth,  can  be  traced, 
from  their  records,  to  a  period  of  time  ^vhen  tiie  greatest  part 
of  Europe  \vas  in  a  state  of  baibaiism.  It  has  been  conjec- 
tured, indeed,  that  tlie  use  of  the  magnetic  needle,  in  Europe, 
was  first  brought  from  China  b)^  the  famous  tra\eller  Marco 
Polo,  tlie  Venetian.  Its  appeai^ance  immediately  after  his 
death,  or,  according  to  some,  \vhile  he  was  yet  li\ing,  but  at 
all  events,  in  his  ouii  counti-}-,  renders  such  a  conjecture  ex- 
tremely probable.  The  embassies  in  which  he  was  employed 
by  Kublai-Khan,  and  the  long  ^  o\'ages  he  performed  by  sea, 
could  scarcely  hxve  been  practicable  ^\•ithout  tlie  aid  of  tlic 
compass.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  Cliinese  were,  A\ithout 
doubt,  \vell  acquainted  vvith  this  instrument  long  before  the 
thiiteentli  centuiy.  It  is  recorded  in  their  best  authenticated 
annals  merel}-  as  a  fact,  and  not  as  any  extraordinary  circum- 
stance, that  the  emperor  Chung-ko  presented  an  embassador 
of  Cochin-China,  ^\ho  had  lost  his  way  in  coming  by  sea, 
with  a  Ting-nan-tchin,  "  a  needle  pointing  out  the  south,"  the 
name  ^^hich  it  still  retains.  E\'en  this  idea  of  the  seat  of 
magnetic  influence,  together  >\ith  the  construction  of  the  com- 
pass-box, die  diAision  of  the  card  into  eight  principal  points, 
and  each  of  these  again  subdi^  ided  into  three,  the  manner  of 
suspending  the  needle,  and  its  diminutive  size,  seldom  ex- 
ceeding in  length  three  quarters  of  an  inch,  ai'e  all  of  them 
sti'ong  presumptions  of  its  being  an  original,  and  not  a  bor- 
ro\\ed,  invention. 

By  some,  indeed,  it  has  been  conjectured,  that  the  Scythi- 
ans, in  the  northern  regions  of  Asia,  A\ere  acquainted  a\  ith  the 
polarity  of  the  magnet,  in  ages  antecedent  to  all  historj^  and 
that  tlie  A'irtue  of  diis  fossil  Avas  intended  to  be  meant  by  the 
flyhig  an*o\v,  presented  to  Abaris  by  Apollo,  about  the  time 
of  the  Trojan  war,  with  the  help  of  Mhich  he  could  transport 
himself  wherever  he  pleased.  The  abundance  of  iron  ores, 
and  perhaps  of  nati\'e  iron,  in  e^ery  piut  of  Tartary,  and  the 


98  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

very  early  period  of  time  in  which  the  natives  were  acquaint- 
ed with  the  process  of  smelting  these  ores,  render  the  idea  not 
improbable,  of  the  northern  nations  of  Europe,  and  Asia,  (or 
the  Scythians)  bcmg  first  acquainted  ^ith  the  poku'ity  of  tlie 
mag-net. 

Yet,  even  with  tlie  assistance  of  the  compass,  it  is  surpris- 
ing how  tlie  clumsy  and  ill-constructed  ^  essels  of  the  Chinese 
can  perfonn  so  long  and  dangerous  a  voyage  as  that  to  Bata- 
via.  For,  besides  being  thro\Mi  out  of  their  course  by  every 
contrai"}^  ^^  ind,  their  \vhole  construction,  and  particulai'ly  the 
vast  height  of  their  upper  works,  above  the  water,  seems  little 
adapted  to  oppose  those  violent  tempests  that  prevail  on  the 
China  seas,  known,  as  we  liave  already  observed,  by  the  name 
of  Ta-fung.  These  humcanes  sometimes  blow  with  such 
strengtli  that,  according  to  the  assertion  of  an  experienced  and 
intelligent  commander  of  one  of  the  East  India  company's 
ships,  "  Were  it  possible  to  blow  ten  thousand  trumpets,  and 
"  beat  as  many  drums,  on  the  forecastle  of  an  Indiaman,  m  the 
*'  height  of  a  Ta-fung,  neither  the  sound  of  tlie  one  nor  the 
"  other  v^'ould  be  heard  by  a  person  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the 
''  same  ship."  In  fact,  vast  numbers  of  Chinese  vessels  are 
lost  in  these  heavy  gales  of  wind ;  and  ten  or  twelve  thousand 
subjects,  from  the  port  of  Canton  alone,  are  reckoned  to  perish 
annu:iliy  by  shipv»Teck. 

When  a  ship  leaves  this  port  on  a  foreign  voyage,  it  is  con- 
sidered as  an  equal  chance  that  she  will  never  return ;  and  when 
the  event  proves  favoui'able,  a  general  rejoicing  takes  place 
among  the  friends  of  all  those  who  had  embarked  in  the 
hazardous  entei-prise.  Some  of  these  ships  are  not  less  than  a 
thousand  tons  burden,  and  contain  half  that  number  of  souls, 
besides  the  passengers  that  leave  tlieii-  country,  in  the  hope  of 
making  their  fortunes  in  Batavia  and  Manilla.  A  ship  is  sel- 
dom the  concern  of  one  man.  Sometimes  forty  or  fifty,  or 
even  a  hundred,  different  merchants,  purchase  a  vessel,  and 
divide  her  into  as  many  compartments  as  there  are  partners, 
so  that  each  knows  his  o\'sii  pmticular  place  in  the  sliij),  which 
he  is  at  liberty  to  fit  up  and  to  secure  as  he  pleases.  He  ships 
his  goods,  and  accompanies  them  in  person,  or  sends  his  son, 
or  a  near  relation ;  for  it  rarely  happens  that  they  will  trust 
jeach  other  with  property,  \\  here  no  family  connexion  exists. 
Each  sleeping-place  is  just  tlie  length  and  breadth  of  a  man, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  29 

and  contains  only  a  small  mat  spread  on  the  floor,  and  a  pillow. 
Beliind  the  compass  is  generally  placed  a  small  temple,  with 
an  altai',  on  which  is  continually  kept  burning  a  spiral  taper, 
composed  of  wax,  tallow  and  sandal-Mood' dust.  This  holy 
flame  answers  a  double  puipose ;  for  while  the  burning  of  it 
fulfils  an  act  of  piety,  its  tAveh  e  equal  divisions  serve  to  mea- 
sure the  tv\eh'e  portions  of  time,  which  make  up  a  complete 
day.  It  should  seem  that  the  superstitious  notions  inculcated 
in  the  people  have  led  them  to  suppose,  that  some  particular 
influence  resides  in  the  compass ;  ibr,  on  ever}'  appem-ance  of 
a  change  in  the  \\eather,  they  burn  incense  before  tlie  magne- 
tic needle. 

The  losses  occasioned  among  die  ships  that  were  employed 
to  transport  tlie  taxes,  paid  in  kind,  from  the  ports  of  the 
southern  and  middle  provinces  to  the  northern  capital,  were  so 
great,  at  the  time  of  the  Tartar  concjuest,  in  the  diiiteenth 
century,  that  the  successors  of  Gcngis-Khan  were  induced  to 
open  a  direct  communication  betv\een  the  t\\o  extremes  of  the 
empire,  by  means  of  the  rivers  and  canals ;  an  undertaking 
that  reflects  the  highest  credit  on  die  Mongul  Tartars,  and 
wliich  cannot  fail  to  be  reg-arded  with  admiration,  as  long  as  it 
shall  continue  to  exist.  The  Chinese,  however,  say,  tliat  the 
Tartai-s  only  repaired  the  old  works  that  were  tallen  into 
decay. 

Six  centuries  previous  to  this  period,  or  about  the  seventh 
century  of  the  Cliristian  sera,  the  Chinese  mercharis,  accord- 
ing to  the  opinion  of  the  learned  and  ingenious  M.  de  Guigiies, 
carried  on  a  trade  to  the  west  coast  of  North  America.  That, 
at  this  time,  the  promontory  of  Kamskatka  was  know  n  to  them, 
under  the  name  of  Ta-Shan,  many  of  their  books  of  travels 
sufficiently  testify  ;  but  their  journeys  thither  were  generally 
made  by  land.  One  of  the  missionaiies  assured  me  that,  in  a 
collection  of  travels  to  Kamskatka,  by  various  Chinese,  the 
names  of  the  several  Tartar  tribes,  their  manners,  customs,, 
and  characters,  tlie  geogi^aphical  descriptions  of  lakes,  rivers, 
and  mountains,  were  too  clearly  and  distinctly  noted  to  be^ 
mistaken.  It  is,  however,  extremely  probable  that,  as  furs  and 
peltr}^  were  ah\'a}-s  in  great  demand,  they  might  also  have  some 
communication  widi  the  said  promontorv',  from  the  isles  of 
Jesso,  to  vvhich  they  were  knovvii  to  trade  v\ith  their  sliipping ; 
and  which  are  only  a  very  short  distimce  from  it.  iVI.  de 
puigiies,  in  support  of  his  opinion,  quotes  the  journal  of  a 


3a  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA, 

Bonze,  as  the  priests  of  Fo  have  usually  been  called,  who 
sailed  eastward  from  Kamskatka  to  such  a  distance  as,  in  his 
mind,  puts  it  be}'ond  a  doubt  that  the  country  he  arrived  at 
A\  as  no  other  than  the  coast  of  California.  The  Spanish  writers, 
indeed,  of* the  eaily  ^•oyages  to  this  country,  make  mention  of 
\arious  WTCcks  of  Chinese  Acssels  being  found  in  different  parts 
of  the  ^vestcm  coast  of  the  n€^v  continent ;  and  they  observe 
that  the  natives  here  were,  in^-ariably,  more  civilized  than  in 
tlie  interior  and  eastern  parts  of  America. 

E^  en  those  on  tlie  eastern  coast  of  South  America  have  a 
veiy  strong  resemblance  to  the  Chinese  in  their  persons,  though 
not  in  their  temperament  and  manners.  The  viceroy  of  the 
Brazils  retains  a  dozen  of  these  people  in  his  ser\dce,  as  rowers 
of  his  barge,  \vith  the  use  of  which  he  one  day  honoured  us, 
to  make  the  tour  of  the  ^rand  harbour  of  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
We  observed  the  Tartar  or  Cliinese  features,  particulai'ly  the 
eye,  strongly  marked  in  the  countenances  of  these  Indians ; 
the  copper  tinge  Vv^as  rather  deeper  than  the  darkest  of  the  Chi- 
nese ;  but  their  beards,  being  mostly  confined  to  the  upper  lip 
and  the  point  of  tiie  chin,  together  with  tlieir  strong  black  hair, 
bore  a  -^cry  near  resemblance. 

The  island  of  Tcho-ka,  or  Saghalien,  in  tlie  Tartarian  sea, 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Amour,  has  evidently  been  peopled 
b}-  the  Chinese.  When  Monsieur  la  Perouse  visited  this  island, 
he  found  the  inhabitants  clothed  in  blue  nankin,  and  "  the 
"  form  of  theii-  dress  differed  but  little  from  that  of  the 
''  Chinese;  their  pipes  were  Chinese,  and  of  Tootanague;. 
"  they  had  long  nails ;  and  they  saluted  by  kneeling  and  pro- 
"  stration,  like  the  Chinese.  If  (continues  the  navigator)  they 
"  ha^^e  a  common  origin  \^iththe  Tartars  and  Chinese,  their 
*'  separation  from  these  nations  must  be  of  very  ancient  date, 
"  for  they  have  no  resemblance  to  them  in  person,  and  little  in 
*'  manners."  Yet,  from  his  own  account,  it  appears  that  both 
|lie:r  manners  and  customs  have  a  veiy  close  resemblance. 

The  Chinese,  at  one  period,  carried  on  a  very  considerable 
commerce  with  Bussora  and  other  sea-ports  in  the  Persian 
gulph,  paiticularly  Siraff,  near  wliich  some  small  islands,  as 
well  as  several  remarkable  points  and  headlands  of  the  coast, 
still  bear  Chinese  names.  In  some  of  the  voyages  it  is  ob- 
served that  a  colony  of  Chinese  had  apparently  settled  in  the 
kingdom  of  Soffala,  the  descendants  of  Avhom  were,  in  the 
time  of  the  ^niters,  easily  distinguished  from  the  other  natives^ 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  31 

by  the  difference  of  their  colour  and  their  features.  The 
early  Portuguese  navigators  also  observe  that,  on  the  island 
St.  Laurence,  or  Madagascar,  they  met  Avith  people  mIio  re- 
sembled the  Chinese.  That  the  celebrated  traAeller,  JNIarco 
Polo,  visited  Madagascar,  in  a  Chinese  vessel,  there  can  he 
little  doubt,  unless  indeed,  like  his  owti  countrymen,  \vc 
chuse  rather  to  reject  the  probable  parts  of  his  narrative  as 
fabulous,  and  to  believe  the  miracles  performed  by  the  Ncs- 
torian  Christians,  in  Armenia,  as  the  only  truths  in  his  book. 

It  is  impossible  not  to  consider  the  notices  given  bv  this 
early  traveller  as  curious,  interesting  and  \:iluable ;  and  as  far 
astheyregard  the  empire  of  China,  they  bear  internal  e\idence 
of  being  generally  coiTCCt.  He  sailed  li'om  Cliina  in  a  fleet 
consisting  of  fourteen  ships,  each  canying  four  masts,  and 
having  their  holds  partitioned  into  separate  chaml^ers,  some 
containing  thirteen  distinct  compartments.  Tliis  is  the  exact 
number  of  divisions  into  vihich  all  the  holds  of  those  sea- 
faring vessels  AAcre  partitioned,  that  transported  the  presents  and 
baggage  from  our  own  ships,  in  the  gulph  of  Pe-tche-lee,  in- 
to the  river  Pei-ha;  and  we  observed  many  hundreds,  of  a 
still  larger  description,  tliat  are  employed  in  foreign  \o\-agcs, 
all  canying  foiu'  masts.  Such  vessels,  our  sailors,  Avho  arc 
remarkable  for  metamoq^hosing  foreign  names,  usually  call 
Junks,  from  Tchuan,  wliich  signifies  a  ship ;  the  Tsong-too, 
or  viceroy  of  a  province,  is  called  by  them  John  Tuck. 

Not  only  the  form  of  the  ships,  but  the  circumst.inces  of 
tlie  voyage,  taken  notice  of  by  this  ancient  na^•igator,  stamp  his 
relation  \vith  authenticity^ ;  the  strong  current  between  Mada- 
gascar and  Zanzebar  rendering  it  next  to  impossible  for  ships 
to  get  back  to  the  northward ;  the  black  natives  on  that  coast; 
the  products  of  the  countrj^  which  he  enumerates ;  the  true 
description  of  the  giraffe  or  camelopardalis,  at  that  time  con- 
sidered in  Europe  as  a  fabulous  animal;  are  so  many  and  such 
strong  e\idences  in  favour  of  his  narrative,  as  to  lea^■e  little 
doubt  that  he  either  ^vas  himself  upon  the  east  coast  of  Africa, 
or  that  he  had  received  veiy  correct  information  from  his  Chi- 
nese shipmates  concerning  it.  Yet,  doctor  Vmccnt  has  assert- 
ed, in  his  Periplus  of  tlie  Erjthrean  Sea,*  that  in  the  time 
of  this  Venetian  traveller  none  but  Arab  or  Malay  \essels  na- 

•  In  tlie  very  next  page  (202)  he  however  corrects  himself,  by  obsenin^  that 
eitha-  the  Chinese  or  Malays  navigated  as  fai"  as  Madagascar. 


52  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

vigatcd  the  Indian  ocean.  With  all  due  deference  to  such 
high  ail thorit}'  I  cannot  forbear  observing  that  the  simple  re- 
lation of  INIai'co  Polo  bears  internal  and  irresistible  evidence 
that  the  fleet  of  ships,  in  which  he  sailed,  were  Chinese,  of 
the  same  kind,  to  all  intents  and  purjDOses,  as  they  now  are. 
Nor  ha^'C  we  any  reason  for  doubting  the  authority  of  the  two 
Mahomcdans  who  visited  China  in  the  ninth  centur}',  when 
diey  tell  us,  that  Chinese  ships  traded  to  the  Persian  gulph  at 
tliat  time.  In  a  chart,  made  under  the  direction  of  the  Vene- 
tian traveller,  and  still  preserved  in  the  church  of  St.  Michael 
de  Murana  at  Venice,  the  southern  part  of  the  continent  of 
Africa  is  said  to  be  distinctly  marked  down ;  though  this,  in- 
deed, might  have  been  inserted  after  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
had  been  doubled  by  the  Portuguese. 

Whether  the  prince  of  Portugal  had  seen  or  heard  of  this 
chart,  or  consulted  the  Arabian  geogi^aphers,  or  had  read  of 
the  circumnavigation  of  Africa,  in  the  first  translation  of  He- 
rodotus, that  made  its  appearance  but  a  few  years  before  the 
discovery  of  the  southern  promontory  of  this  continent  by 
Bartholomew  Diaz  ;  or  whether  the  voyages  were  undertaken 
at  that  time  on  a  general  plan  of  discovery,  authors  seem  not 
to  have  agreed ;  but  the  opinion,  I  understand,  among  the 
Portuguese  is,  that  Henry  had  good  grounds  for  supposing 
that  the  circumnavigation  of  Africa  M^as  practicable. 

And  whether  the  Phoenicians  did  or  did  not,  in  the  earliest 
periods  of  history^  double  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  there  is 
abundant  reason  for  supposing  they  were  well  acquainted  with 
the  east  coast  of  Africa,  as  fcir  as  the  Cape  of  Currents.  Nor 
is  it  probable  that  the  extent  and  flourishing  condition  of  the 
trade  and  commerce  of  Tyrus  should  have  been  limited  to 
that  part  of  the  Indian  ocean  to  the  south-w^ard  of  the  Red 
Sea,  \vhich  is  a  more  difl&cult  navigation  than  to  the  north- 
ward. That  this  commerce  \Aas  extensi\'e,  we  have  the  au- 
thority of  the  prophet  Ezekiel,  who,  in  glowing  terms,  has 
painted  its  final  destruction,  and  who,  it  may  be  remarked,  is 
supposed  to  have  lived  at  the  veiy  time  the  Phoenicians  sailed 
round  Africa,  by  order  of  Necho.  "  Thy  riches  and  thy  fairs, 
*'  thy  merchandize,  tliy  mariners  and  thy  pilots,  thy  caulkers, 
*'  and  the  occupiers  of  thy  merchandize,  and  all  thy  men  of 
"  war  that  are  in  thee,  and  in  all  thy  company  which  is  in  the 
"  midst  of  thee,  shall  fall  into  the  midst  of  the  seas,  in  the 
"  day  of  thy  ruin."     It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  the  navi- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  « 

gation  of  the  eastern  seas  was  kno^v-n  in  the  earliest  periods  of 
histor)-^ ;  and  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  for  supposing  that 
the  Chinese  should  not  hsLvc  had  tlieir  share  in  it. 

Without,  ho^^•ever,  making  any  enquir}-  into  die  probabi- 
lity that  an  ancient  intercourse  might  have  subsisted  bct\veen 
China  and  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa,  either  by  convention  for 
commercial  purposes,  or  that  Chinese  sailors  might  ha^e  iDeen 
tlirowTi  ontliat  coast,  either  in  Phcenician,  or  Arabian,  or  their 
OAvn  vessels,  I  happened  to  obser^■e  in  a  foiTner  publication  of 
"  Travels  in  Southern  Africa,"  as  a  matter  of  f.ict,  "  that  the 
"  upper  lid  of  die  eye  of  a  real  Hottentot,  as  in  that  of  a 
"  Chinese,  Avas  rounded  into  the  lower  on  the  side  next  the 
*'  nose,  and  that  it  formed  not  an  angle,  as  in  the  eye  of  an  Eu- 
"  ropean — that  from  this  circumstance  tliey  \\ere  knoA'.n  in 
*'  the  colony  of  die  Cape  by  the  name  of  Chinese  Hottentots." 
Further  obsei"vations  liavc  conlirm.ed  me  in  tlie  very  striking 
degree  of  resemblance  between  them.  Their  physical  charac- 
ters agree  in  iilmost  every  point.  The  forni  of  their  persons, 
in  the  remai'kable  smalbiess  of  the  joints  and  the  extremities, 
dieir  voices  and  manner  of  speaking,  their  temper,  their  co- 
lour and  features,  and,  in  particular,  that  singularly ^sliaped  eye, 
rounded  in  the  comer  next  the  nose,  like  the  end  of  an  ellipsis, 
probably  of  Tartar  or  Scythian  origm,  are  nearly  alike.  They 
also  agree  in  the  broad  root  of  the  nose,  or  great  distancebe- 
tvveen  die  eyes :  or  in  the  oblique  position  of  these,  which, 
instead  of  being  horizontal,  as  is  generally  the  case  in  Euro- 
pean subjects,  are  depressed  tov.ards  the  nose.  A  Hotten- 
tot, who  attended  me  tra\clling  over  Soudiern  Afiica,  was  so 
ver}'  like  a  Chinese  serA'ant  I  had  in  Canton,  both  in  person, 
features,  manners,  and  tone  of  Aoice,  tliat  I  almost  always, 
inadvertently,  called  him  by  the  name  of  the  latter.  Their 
hair,  it  is  ti'ue,  and  diat  only,  differs.  This,  in  a  Hottentot, 
is  rather  harsh  and  a\  iry  than  woolh",  neidier  long,  nor  short, 
but  twisted  in  hard  curling  ringlets,  resem.bling  fringe.  I 
possess  not  a  sufficient  degree  of  skill  in  physiology  to  say 
what  kind  of  hair  the  offspring  w^ould  have,  of  a  Chinese  man 
and  a  Mosambique  Avoman ;  much  less  can  I  pretend  to  ac- 
count for  the  origin  of  the  Hottentot  tribes,  insulated  oi^-the 
narrow  exti'emity  of  a  large  continent,  and  differing  so  re- 
markably from  Jl  their  neighbours ;  or  where  to  look  for  dieir 
primitive  stock,  imlcss  among  the  Cliinesc. 

£ 


34  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

I  am  a\\  are  it  will  appear  rather  singular,  to  those  who  may 
liave  attended  to  tlie  accounts  that  generally  have  been  given 
of  these  t\\  o  people,  to  meet  \\-)th  a  comparison  between  the 
most  polished  and  the  most  barbarous,  the  wisest  and  the  most 
ignorant,  of  mankind ;  and  I  am,  therefore,  the  less  surprised 
at  an  observation  made  by  the  \\Titers  of  the  Critical  Review, 
"  that  the  foetus  of  the  Hottentot  may  resemble  the  Chinese, 
"  as  the  entrails  of  a  pig  resemble  those  of  a  man;  but  on 
"  this  topic  our  ingenious  author  seems  to  Avander  beyond  the 
*'  circle  of  his  knowledge."  I  hope  these  gentlemen  will  not 
be  offended  at  my  talving  this  occasion  to  assure  them  that  tlie 
comparison  was  not  even  then  made  on  loose  grounds,  although 
no  inference  was  dra^'^  n  from  it ;  and  that,  on  a  closer  exami- 
nation, I  am  the  more  convinced  of  their  near  resemblance  in 
mental  as  v»"ell  as  physical  qualities.  The  aptitude  of  a  Hot- 
tentot, in  acquiring  and  combining  ideas,  is  not  less  than  of  a 
Chinese ;  and  their  powers  of  imitiition  ai-e  equally  great,  al- 
lowance being  made  for  the  difference  of  education ;  the  one 
being  continually,  from  his  infancy,  brought  up  in  a  society 
\\  here  iJi  the  arts  and  conveniencies  of  life  are  in  common  use; 
the  other  among  a  miserable  race  of  beings,  in  constant  want 
even  of  the  common  necessaiies  of  life. 

Indeed,  the  people  that  have  derived  their  origin  from  the 
same  stock  with  the  Chinese,  are  more  widely  scattered  over 
the  Asiatic  continent  and  the  Oriental  islands  than  is  generally 
imagined.  All  those  numerous  societies,  known  under  the 
common  name  of  Malays,  ai'e  unquestionably  descended  from 
the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Sc}1:hia  or  Tartary ;  and  it  may, 
perhaps,  be  added,  that  their  connxction  with  the  Arabs,  and 
their  conversion  to  Islamism,  first  inspired,  and  have  now 
rendered  habituiil,  tliat  cruel  and  sanguinary  disposition  for 
\\  hich  the}'  are  remarkable ;  for  it  has  been  observed  that  the 
natives  of  those  islands,  to  which  the  baleful  influence  of  this 
religion  has  not  extended,  have  generally  been  found  a  mild 
and  inoffensive  people ;  as  was  the  case  with  regard  to  the 
natives  of  the  Pelew  islands,  ^vhen  discovered  by  captain 
Wilson. 

'  *he  perusal  of  Mr.  Marsden's  excellent  history  of  Sumatra 
Ica^'cs  little  doubt,  on  my  mind,  that  a  Chinese  colony,  at 
some  eai-ly  period,  has  settled  on  that  island.  This  author 
observes  that  the  eves  of  tlie  Sumtitrans  are  little,  and  of  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  35 

same  kind  as  those  of  the  Chinese ;  tliat  they  suffer  tlieir  nails 
to  gi'ow  long ;  that  they  excel  in  working  fillagTce,  makirjv 
gunpowder,  Sec.  that  they  register  events,  b}-  making  knots 
on  cords ;  that  they  count  decimally ;  ^nitc  with  a  sUle  on 
bamboo ;  that  they  haAC  little  hair  on  their  bodies  ar.d  beads, 
which  little,  like  the  Chinese,  they  extract.  In.  tlicir  Lmguage, 
many  words,  I  perceive,  ai'c  similar ;  and  the  coircsponding 
words  express  the  same  idea  in  botli  languages ;  but,  on  ct}-- 
mological  compaiisons  I  Mould  be  uridcrstood  to  lav  little 
stress,  for  reasons  which  A\ill  be  assigned  in  the  sixth  chapter. 
The  similitude  of  a  religious  ceremom-  is  much  stronger 
ground  to  build  upon  ;  and  the  coincidence  is  sufficiently  re- 
markable, that  the  manner  practised  by  the  Sumatrans,  in 
taking  a  solemn  oath,  should  exactly  agree  with  the  same 
ceremony  which  is  used  in  giA'ing  a  solemn  pledge  among  the 
common  people  of  Chhia,  namel}',  by  A\Tingir.g  off  the  head  of 
a  cock.  Captain  Mackintosh  told  me  that,  having  once  occa- 
sion to  place  great  confidence  in  the  master  of  a  Chinese  "\  es- 
sel,  and  doubting  lest  he  might  betray  it,  the  man  felt  him- 
self considerably  hurt,  and  said  he  would  p^'ivc  him  sufficient 
proof  that  he  was  to  be  trusted.  He  immediately  procured  a 
cock,  and,  falling  down  on  both  knees,  wrung  off  his  head ; 
then,  holding  up  his  Iiands  towai'ds  hea\'en,  he  made  use  of 
these  words :  "  If  I  act  otherA\ise  than  as  I  have  said,  do 
*'  thou,  O  Tien,  (Heaven)  deal  widi  me  as  I  have  dealt  widi 
*'  diiscock!" 

I  have  since  been  informed,  from  tlie  best  authorit}-,  that 
whenever,  in  the  course  of  die  concerns  of  the  British  ]i,ast 
India  Company  with  the  merchants  of  China,  it  may  be  neces- 
sary- to  administer  an  oadi  to  a  Chinese,  the  same  ceremony 
is  gone  tlirough,  of  UTinging  off  the  head  of  a  cock ;  Avhich  is 
by  them  considered,  in  a  Aciy  serious  light,  a  sort  of  incan- 
tation, the  effects  of  which  upon  their  minds  are  not  unlike 
those  produced  by  supposed  magic  spells,  once  common  in 
our  o\\ii  country ;  by  a\  hich  the  vulgiu"  ^\eTc  persuaded  that 
the  devil  was  to  be  made  to  appeal'  before  them.  In  a  Chinese 
court  of  justice  an  oath  is  never  administered.  In  a  late  affair, 
where  a  Chinese  was  killed  by  a  seaman  of  a  British  m*n  of 
war,  and  the  captain  w^as  about  to  administer  an  oath  to  two 
of  his  people,  whom  he  produced  as  evidences  in  a  Chinese 
court  of  justice,  tlie  chief  judge  was  so  shocked,  that  he 
ordered  the  court  to  be  instantly  cleared. 


36  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

The  Cingalese  are,  unquestionably,  of  Chinese  origin. 
Those  who  are  acquainted  uith  the  Chinese  manners  and 
character  vrill  immediately  perceive  the  very  close  resem- 
blance, on  reading  Mr.  Boyd's  relation  of  his  embassy  to  the 
king  of  Candy.  Sin  quo,  kingdom  of  Sin,  (from  whence 
Sina,  or  China)  are  Chinese  words ;  the  termination  is  Eu- 
ropean. So  also  is  the  name  of  the  island  Chinese,  See-Ian, 
See-long,  or  See-lung,  the  Western  Dragon,  in  conformity 
to  an  invariable  custom  of  assigning  the  name  of  some  animal 
to  every  mountain. 

Having  no  intention,  however,  to  investigate  minutely  the 
extent  of  Chinese  navigation  and  commerce,  in  ancient  times, 
but  rather  to  confine  my  observations  to  their  present  state, 
I  return  from  tliis  digression,  in  order  to  proceed  on  our 
vo}'age. 

One  of  the  small  brigs,  attending  the  expedition,  was  dis- 
patched, without  loss  of  time,  to  the  port  of  Chu-San,  to  take 
on  board  the  pilots  that,  agreeably  to  the  order  contained  in 
the  imperial  edict,  were  expected  to  be  found  in  readiness  to 
embaik.  In  some  of  the  passages,  fcrm.ed  by  the  numerous 
islands,  the  currents  ran  with  amazing  rapidity,  appearing 
more  like  the  impetuous  torrents  of  rivers,  swelled  by  rains, 
than  branches  of  the  great  ocean.  The  depth,  too,  of  these 
naiTOAv  passages  was  so  gi-eat  as  to  make  it  difficult,  dangerous, 
and  ii'equentiy  impossible,  for  ships  to  anchor,  in  the  event  of 
a  calm ;  in  which  case  they  must  necessarily  drive  at  the 
mercy  of  the  stream.  As  we  approached,  in  tlie  Clarence 
brig,  the  high  rocky  point  of  the  continent  called  Kee-too, 
which  juts  into  the  midst  of  the  cluster  of  islands,  the  wind 
suddenly  failed  us ;  and  the  current  hurried  us  witli  such  ve- 
locity directly  towards  the  point,  tiiat  we  expected  momenta- 
rily to  be  dashed  in  pieces ;  but  on  coming  widiin  twice  the 
length  of  the  ship  of  the  perpendicular  precipice,  which  was 
some  hundred  feet  high,  the  eddy  swept  her  round  tln'ce  se- 
veral times,  with  great  rapidity.  The  captain  vrould  have 
dropped  the  anchor,  but  an  old  Chinese  fisherman,  whom  we 
had  taken  on  board  to  pilot  us,  made  signs  that  it  was  too 
deep,  and,  at  the  same  time,  that  there  was  no  danger,  ex- 
cept that  of  the  bowsprit  striking  against  the  mountain.  The 
Chinese  vessels  have  no  bowsprit.  At  this  moment  the  lead 
was  tliro\Mi,  but  we  got  no  soundings  at  the  depth  of  one 
hundred  gjid  twenty  fathoms ;  yet  the  yellow  mud  was  brought 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  37 

up  from  the  bottom,  in  such  quantities,  tliat  the  Nile,  at  the 
height  of  its  inundations,  or  the  gieat  Yello\\-  Ri\er  of  Cliina, 
could  not  be  more  loaded  ^^•ith  mud  than  the  sea  ^a  as  in  die 
whirlpool  of  Kec-too  point.  The  cuirent,  in  the  Strait  of 
Faro,  setting  directly  upon  die  rocks  of  Scylla  iind  the  \\hirl. 
pool  of  Chaiylxlis,  those  celebrated  objects  of  dread  to  ancient 
na^'igators,  could  not  possibly  ha\c  been  more  a\Aful!)-  terrific, 
thougli  perhaps  more  dangerous,  than  tlie  cuirents  and  the 
eddies  that  boiled  tumultuously  round  this  promontoiy  of  the 
Chinese  continent,  where, 

"  When  the  tide  rushes  from  her  rumbling  caves 
*'  The  I'ough  rock  roars  ;  tumultuous  boil  the  waves  { 
"  They  toss,  tliey  foam,  a  wild  confusion  raise, 
"  Like  waters  bubbling-  o'er  the  fiery  blaze." 

The  second  whirl  removed  us  to  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  point,  and,  after  the  third,  we  were  swept  rapidly 
along  in  a  smooth  uniform  cuiTcnt.  Our  intei-preter,  a  Chi- 
nese priest,  who  had  been  educated  in  the  college  De  Propa- 
ganda Fide,  at  Naples,  wns  not  quite  so  comjjosed  as  his 
country-man  die  pilot.  The  poor  fcllo-w,  indeed,  had  nearly- 
been  thrown  overboard  by  the  boom  of  the  mainsail,  in  the 
first  (vrliich  was  the  most  rapid)  \^  iiirl  of  the  ship ;  the  same 
blow  striking  a  sailor,  tossed  his  hat  overboard ;  and  it  af- 
forded some  amusement,  in  our  supposed  perilous  situation, 
to  hear  the  different  ejaculations  of  these  two  persons  on  die 
same  occasion.  Sanctissima  Maria !  est  miraculum,  est  mi- 
raculum !  exclaimed  the  priest,  ^\•ith  great  eagerness ;  whilst 
the  sailor,  rubbing  his  head,  and  talking  away,  with  much 
composure,  observed,  that  the  d — n'd  boom  had  carried  away 
his  fore-top- gallant  cap ! 

The  Chinese,  it  seemed,  had  already  been  apprised  of  our 
arrival ;  for  we  had  not  proceeded  far  before  a  lai'ge  vessel  bore 
dovMi  tovvards  us,  and,  hailing  die  brig  in  their  ovmi  language, 
desired  we  vvould  bring  her  to  anchor,  and  that  they  would 
conduct  us  early  the  following  morning  into  the  harbour  of 
Chu-san.  Some  of  die  officers  came  on  board,  were  extremely 
civil,  and  presented  us  with  a  basket  of  fruit ;  but  they  affected 
to  know  nothing  of  the  occasion  that  had  brought  us  thither. 
Our  old  fishemian  took  out  of  the  sea  (among  diousands  that 
had  floated  round  our  vessel)  one  of  diose  animal  substimces 
which,  I  believe,  we  vulgarly  call  sea  blubbers  (Mollusc  a 


c 


38  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA, 

medusa  poipita).  It  was,  at  least,  a  foot  in  diameter.  Hav- 
ing; dressed  it  for  his  supper,  and  seeing  it  Aveai'  the  in^.ating 
appearance  of  a  transpai-ent  colourless  jelly,  I  was  tempted  to 
taste  it ;  but  tiic  effect  produced  by  diis,  or  the  fruit,  or  both, 
was  a  severe  sickness,  which  continued  for  several  days. 

We  weighed  anchor  at  day-bi^.ak,  and,  with  a  pleasant 
breeze,  sailed  in  company  with  the  clumsy-looking  junk, 
which,  how■c^ er,  to  the  sl!l^^rise  of  our  seamen,  sailed  quite 
as  well  as  the  smart-looking  Clai^encc. 

Having  ancliored  before  the  to\vn,  in  a  spacious"  bason 
formed  by  sc^-eral  islands,  and  ]>aid  the  usual  compliment  of  a 
salute,  a  few  Mandarines  (officers  of  government  so  named 
by  the  early  Poituguese,  from  jiandar,  to  command)  came 
on  boaixl.  To  every  question,  that  led  to  the  main  point  of 
our  ^isit,  these  people  gave  us  e\-asive  answers,  affecting  the 
most  complete  ignorance  of  every  thing  relating  to  the  affairs  of 
the  embass}'.  They  said  the  Tsung-ping,  or  militaiy  gover- 
Txor  of  the  island,  w^as  then  absent,  but  that  he  would  return  in 
the  course  of  tlie  day,  and  would  be  happy  to  see  us  on  shore 
the  following  morning.  Chmese  etiquette,  I  suppose,  re- 
quired.tliat  a  day  should  elapse  before  our  reception  in  form. 

Accordingly,  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  the  gentlemen 
cf  the  embassy,  who  had  been  sent  on  tliis  business,  went  on 
shore,  and  were  received  by  the  governor,  with  great  polite- 
ness and  abundant  ceremony,  in  his  hall  of  public  audience, 
wiiich,  as  a  building,  had  little  to  atti'act  our  notice.  The 
usual  minute  enquiries  being  gone  through,  which,  it  seems, 
Chinese  good-breeding  cannot  dispense  -with,  such  as  the 
health  of  his  visitors,  of  their  parents  and  relations,  and  par- 
ticularly the  name  and  age  of  each  person,  the  object  of  our 
\isit  Avas  explained  to  him,  and  at  the  same  time  a  hope  ex- 
pressed that  there  ^vould  be  no  delay  in  getting  the  pilots  on 
board.  The  old  gentleman  appeared  to  be  much  surprised  at 
such  violent  liaste,  and  talked  of  plays,  feasts  and  entertain- 
ments, that  he  meant  to  gi\'e  us.  Pilots,  however,  he  said, 
■\vcre  ready  to  take  charge  of  the  ships,  and  to  caiTy  them  along 
the  coast  to  the  next  province,  -where  others  would  be  found 
to  condiK?t  them  still  fartlier.  On  being  told  that  such  a  mode 
of  navigation  was  utterh*  impracticable  for  the  large  English 
ships,  and  that  such  pilots  w  ould  be  of  no  use  to  us,  he  beg- 
ged to  be  allowed  the  remainder  of  the  day  to  enquire  for 
others.     We  little  expected  to  have  met  with  any  difficulties 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  39 

with  regai-d  to  pilots,  in  one  of  the  best  and  most  frequented 
ports  in  China,  where,  at  that  time,  se\'ei-al  hundied  \esscJs 
were  l}'ing  at  anchor.  The  remainder  of  die  day  was  spent 
in  a  visit  to  the  city  of  Ting-hai;  but  the  crowd  became  so 
numerous,  and  die  day  was  so  excessively  hot,  that  before 
we  had  passed  the  length  of  a  street,  ^^e  were  glad  to  take  re- 
fuge in  a  temple,  where  the  priests  very  ciA'ill}'  enteit:iined  us 
with  tea,  fruit,  and  cakes.  The  oflicer  who  attended  us  ad- 
vised us  to  return  in  sedan  chairs,  an  ofler  which  we  accepted  ; 
l)ut  die  bearers  ^vere  stopped  e\ery  moment  by  the  crov>cl, 
in  order  diat  every  one  might  satisfy  his  curiosity,  by  thrust- 
ing his  head  in  at  the  window,  and  exclaiming  m  it'h  a  grin, 
*'Hung-mau!  Englishman!"  or,  literally,  "  Rcdpate  ! "  Ra- 
ther disappointed  dian  gratified,  we  ^^"ere  glad,  after  a  fatiguino- 
day,  to  throw  oiu'sehes  into  our  cots,  on  boaixl  the  Ckuencc. 

When  we  went  on  sliore,  die  foilo\ving  morning,  we  found 
the  militaiy  gOAcrnor,  attended  by  a  civil  magistrate,  b}-  w horn, 
after  the  usual  compliments,  we  Avere.addressed,  in  a  long  ora- 
tion, delivered  apparently  with  a  great  deal  of  solemnity;  the 
intention  of  w  hich  was  to  convince  us  diat,  as  it  had  been  the 
})ractice  of  the  Chinese,  for  time  immemorial,  to  navigate  from 
port  to  port,  experience  had  taught  them  it  was  the  best. 
Finding,  however,  that  his  eloquence  could  not  pre^'ail  on  his 
heiu-crs  to  relinquish  their  own  opinions  on  the  subject,  the 
go\  ernor  and  he  consulted  togedier  for  some  time,  and  at 
length  resolved  that  a  general  muster  should  be  made  of  all  the 
persons  in  diat  place,  who  had  at  any  time  Aisited  by  sea  tiie 
port  of  I'ien-sing. 

A  number  of  soldiei-s  A\'ere  accordingly  dispatched,  and  soon 
returned,  with  a  set  of  the  most  miserable-looking  WTCtches  I 
e\er  beheld,  who  were  dii-ust  irito  the  hall,  and,  dropping  on 
their  knees,  were  examined,  in  tiiat  atdtude,  as  to  their  quali- 
fications. Some,  it  appciu-ed,  had  been  at  the -port  of  Tien - 
sing,  but  were  no  seamen ;  others  followed  the  profession,  but 
had  never  been  at  that  port;  and  several  were  hauled  in,  who 
had  never  set  a  foot  on  board  a  vessel  of  any  description  \vliat- 
soe^^er.  In  short,  the  greater  part  of  tlie  day  was  consumed, 
to  no  purpose  ;  and  we  were  about  to  conclude  that  we  had  a 
great  chance  of  leaving  the  central  and  much- frequented  har- 
bour of  Chu-san,  witliout  being  able  to  procure  a  single  pilot, 
when  two  men  were  brought  in,  ^vho  seemed  to  ansv,er  the 
purpose  better  than  any  Avhich  had  yet  been  examined.     It  ap- 


40  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

pearcd,  however,  tliat  they  had  quitted  the  sea  for  many  years, 
and  being  comfortably  settled  in  trade,  had  no  desire  to  en- 
gage in  the  present  service ;  on  the  contrar}%  they  begged,  on 
their  knees,  that  they  might  be  excused  from  such  an  under- 
taking. Their  supplications  were  of  no  avail.  The  emperor's 
orders  must  be  obeyed.  In  vain  did  they  plead  the  ruin  of  their 
business  by  their  absence,  and  the  distress  it  would  occasion  to 
their  wives,  their  childi'cn,  and  their  families.  The  governor 
V.  as  inexorable ;  and  they  were  ordered  to  be  ready  to  embark 
in  the  course  of  an  hour. 

This  ai'bitrary  proceeding  of  the  go^'enlor  conveyed  no  very 
exalted  ideas  of  the  justice  or  moderation  of  the  government, 
or  of  the  protection  it  afforded  to  the  subject.-  To  drag  away 
from  his  family  an  honest  and  industrious  citizen,  settled  in 
trade,  and  to  force  him  into  a  service  that  must  be  ruinous  to 
his  concerns,  was  an  act  of  injustice  and  violence  that  could  not 
be  tolerated  in  any  other  tiian  a  despotic  govemment,  where 
the  subject  knows  no  laws  but  the  will  of  the  tyrant.  But  we 
are  yet  on  a  distant  island  of  the  great  empire,  remote  from  the 
fountain  of  authority  ;  and  delegated  power,  in  all  countries, 
is  but  too  liable  to  be  abused.  Besides,  a  Chinese  might  be 
impressed  with  sentiments  equally  unfavourable  of  our  govern  . 
ment,  v.  ere  he  informed  of  the  manner  in  which  imperious 
necessity  sometimes  requires  our  navy  to  be  mmmed. 

One  consideration,  however,  mJght  "with  safety  be  drawn 
from  the  occurrences  of  this  day,  Vvhich  v.as  this — ^that  long 
voyages  aie  never  undertaken  where  the}'  can  be  avoided ;  but 
tliat  the  com.merce  of  tlie  Yellow  Sea  is  carried  on  from  port  to 
port  ;  and  that  the  aiticles  of  merchandize,  so  transported, 
must  necessaiily  have  man}'  profits  upon  them,  before  they 
comx  to  the  distant  consumer  ;  which  ma}',  in  some  degree, 
account  for  the  high  prices  many  of  the  products  of  the  coun- 
try, as  we  afterwards  found,  bore  in  the  capital.  In  like  man- 
ner was  the  inland  commerce  of  Asia  conducted  by  caravans, 
proceeding  from  station  to  station,  at  each  of  which  were  mer- 
chants to  pay  or  exchange  commodities  with  each  other ; 
tlio&e  at  the  limits  of  the  jouniey  having  no  connection  nor 
communicalionv.h.aisceverv.ith  ojie  another  ;  \\hich  will  piutly 
explain  the  ignorance  of  the  Greeks  with  regard  to  the  eastern 
couiitries,  from,  \thence  they  derived  their  precious  stones, 
perfumes,  and  odicr  vrJuable  articles.  ^ 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  41 

The  old  governor  was  evidently  relieved  fi"om  a  load  of 
anxiety  at  his  success,  and  the  tears  and  entreaties  of  the  poor 
men  ser\'ed  only  to  brighten  up  his  countenance.  From  ci- 
vility, or  curiosity,  or  perhaps  both,  he  returned  our  visit  on 
boai'd  the  brig,  ^vhich  had  been  crowded  with  the  natives  from 
morning  till  night,  since  her  first  arrival  in  the  haibour.  The 
want  of  curiosity,  wluch  has  been  supposed  to  foiTn  a  pait  of 
the  Chinese  chiu'acter,  was  not  perceived  in  this  instance  ;  but 
it  \A'as  that  sort  of  curiosity,  which  appeared  rather  to  be  incit- 
ed by  the  desire  of  looking  narrow  ly  at  the  persons  of  those  a\  ho 
were  to  have  the  honour  of  being  presented  to  their  great  em- 
peror, than  for  the  sake  of  giatihing  the  eye,  or  tlie  mind,  by 
the  acquirement  of  information  or  ne^v  ideas.  The  vessel, 
although  so  very  different  from  their  own,  was  an  object  of 
little  notice  ;  and  although  eager  to  get  a  transient  glance  at 
the  passengers,  tlieir  curiosity  was  satisfied  in  a  moment,  and 
was  generally  accompanied  with  some  ^•ague  exclamation,  in 
which  the  words  Ta- whang-tee  occurred;  and  the  maindiift  of 
which  seemed  to  imply,  "  is  this  person  to  appeal'  before  our 
"  gi-eat  emperor  ?"  This  was  still  more  remarkable  in  the 
crow  d  of  I'ing-hai ;  nothing  scarcely  was  tliere  heard  but  the 
words  Ta-v\hang-tee  and  Hung-mau,  the  emperor  and  tlie 
Englishman. 

The  squadron  had  scai'cely  got  under  way,  and  cleared  the 
narrow  passages  between  the  islands  into  the  Yellow  Sea,  when 
it  \vas  perceived  how  very  little  advantage  it  A\as  likely  to 
derive  from  the  Chinese  pilots.  One  of  them,  in  fact,  had  come 
on  board  without  his  compass,  and  it  \\  as  in  vain  to  attempt  to 
make  him  comprehend  ours.  The  moveable  cai'd  was  to  him  a 
paradox,  as  being  contn\ry  to  the  universal  practice  witli  them, 
of  making  the  needle  traverse  the  fixed  points,  and  not  the 
points  described  on  the  card  to  move  ( by  the  needle  being 
attached  to  the  card),  as  in  those  of  Europe.  The  other  was 
furnished  with  a  compass,  about  the  size  of  a  common  snuff- 
box, being  an  entire  piece  of  Avood,  \vith  a  circular  excavation 
in  the  centre,  just  large  enough  to  admit  the  vibration  of  a  veiy 
fine  steel  neecUe,  not  quite  an  inch  in  length,  Avhich,  however, 
might  be  found  sufficiently  useful,  in  their  short  voyages,  b}- 
means  of  a  peculiar  contrivance  for  presen  ing  the  centre  of 
gravity,  in  all  positions  of  the  ship,  in  coincidence  nearly  with 
the  centre  of  suspension.  Nor  is  it  necessaiy ,  in  so  short  and 
fine  a  needle,  to  load  one  end  more  than  the  other,  in  order  to 


42  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

counteract  tlie  dip,  or  tendency  that  the  magnetic  needle  is 
kno\Mi  to  have,  more  or  less,  towards  the  horizon,  in  different 
parts  of  the  ^vorld.  The  Chinese,  however,  do  not  seem  to 
ha^■e  adopted  their  small  needle  from  any  knowledge  eitlier  of 
vai'iation  or  of  the  inclination  of  the  magnetic  needle.  Al- 
though the  needle  be  in\'ariably  small,  yet  it  sometimes  happens 
that  the  mai"gin  of  the  box  is  extended  to  such  a  size,  as  to 
hsLve  from  twenty  to  thirty  concentri(^.  circles,  containing 
^■arious  characters  of  the  language,  constituting  a  compendium 
of  their  astronornical  (perhaps  more  properly  speaking,  astro- 
logical) knowledge.  As  numbers  of  such  compasses  are  in  the 
museums  of  Europe,  it  ma}'  not  perhajjs  be  Avholly  unaccept- 
able to  gi^'e  some  notion,  of  \^  hat  these  circles  of  characters 
contain. 

1 .  Central  circle,  or  the  needle. 

2.  Eight  mystical  characters,  denoting  the  first  principles 

of  matter,  said  to  be  invented  by  Fo-shee,  the  founder 
of  the  monarch}'. 

3.  The  names  of  the  12  hours,   into  mIucIi  the  day  is  di- 

vided. 
4  and  5.  Names  of  the  circumpolar  stars. 

6.  Chai'acters  of  the  24  principal  meridians  of  colures. 

7.  The  24  subdivisions  or  seasons  of  tlie  }cai-. 

8.  The  characters  of  the  cycle  of  60  years. 

9.  Numerical  characters  relating  to  the  abo\'e  cycle. 

10.  Chai'acters  denoting  the  28  signs  of  the  Zodiac. 

11.  Certain  astrological  chai'acters. 

12.  Eight  sentences,  explanatoiy  of  the  8  mystical  charac- 

ters on  the  second  circle.  * 

13.  A  different  arrangement  of  the  Chinese  cycle. 

14.  Characters  of  the  five  elements. 

15.  Repetition  of  the  characters  on  the  eighth  circle. 

16.  Repetition  of  the  eighth  circle. 

17  and  18.  Characters  of  obscure  mythology. 

19.  Names  of  28  constellations,  and  dieir  places  in  the  hea- 

vens. 

20.  Relates  to  the  sixth  and  fifteenth  circles.  * 

21.  The  world  divided  according  to  the  sidereal  influences. 

22.  Corresponds  Vvitli  the  cightli  and  sixteenth  circles. 

23.  Contiiins  the  same  as  the  abo\'C,  with  the  addition  of 

the  fourteenth  circle. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  43 

24  and  25,  are  inexplicable,  eAcn  by  the  Clibiese. 

26.  An  arrangement  of  eertain  characters  and  marks  for 
calculating  lucky,  unlucky,  and  neutral  days. 

27,  is  the  same  as  the  nineteenth,and  sun-ounds  the  whole.* 

The  greatest  depth  of  the  YelloAv  Sea,  in  the  track  of  the 
ships,  did  not  exceed  thirty-six  fathoms,  and  it  was  frequently 
diminished  to  ten  fathoms.  The  \\eathcr,  as  usiialh^  happens 
in  shallow  seas,  was  generally  haz}'.  In  doubling  the  project-"" 
ing  promontoiy  of  the  pro^■ince  of  Shan-^tung,  tiie  land  \\as 
hidden  in  thick  fogs.  And  on  these,  fortumitely,  dissipating, 
it  was  percei\ed  that  the  whole  squadron  'was  A\'ithin  four  miles 
of  tlie  main  land,  and  one  of  the  ships  close  upon  a  rock}^ 
island.  The  pilots  were  as  ignorant  of  our  situation  as  the 
meanest  sailor  in  the  squadron.  Proceeding  to  the  '\\est\\-ai-d, 
a  ciipacious  bay  was  clisco\ered.  One  of  the  pilots,  after  a 
minute  examination  of  the  land,  a\  hich  was  now  clear,  asserted 
that  he  knew^  the  place  ^'ery  wqU  ;  that  it  was  the  ba}'  of 
Mee-a-taw.  The  confidence  \\ith  wliich  he  spoke,  and  the 
vast  concourse  of  people,  cro\\ding  down  tow-ards  the 
shore,  as  if  expecting  our  arri^•al,  induced  the  commander  to 
steer  directly  into  the  ba\-  ;  but  die  depth  of  v»ater  diminish- 
ing to  ^ive  fathoms,  and  land  appearing  on  every  side,  it  Avas 
thought  piTident  to  let  go  the  anchor.  Several  baits  from 
the  shore  w-ere  presently  along-side  ;  and  \\e  were  soon  con- 
vinced how  little  we  had  to  trust  to  the  knov\ledgc  of  our 
pilots,  even  widiih  sight  of  huid.  Wc  \\  ere  informed  that  the 
bay  was  called  Kee-san-seu,  and  that  Mee-a-taw  was,  at  least, 
fifteen  leagues  faither  to  the  westA\ard. 

The  hills  along  this  southern  coast  of  the  gulph  of  Pe-tche- 
lee  have  a  very  peculiai'  character.  Tliey  are  all  of  the  same 
form,  and  ncLU'ly  of  the  same  size,  being  regular  coiies,  \^ith 
smooth  sides,  as  if  fashioned  by  art,  and  entiiTh'  detached, 
each  standing  on  its  proper  bcise,  resembling  in  their  shapes 
the  simimcr  caps  worn  by  the  officers  of  go^'emn1ent  ;  and 
ha\ing,  as  yet,  no  European  names,  they  were  noticed  in  the 

*  If  any  arg-timent  were  wauting'  to  prove  tlie  orip^inalily  of  the  ma^ietic 
needle,  as  used  in  China,  the  circumstance  of  their  liaving  inpji'afted  upon  it  their 
most  ancient  and  favourite  mytholog'y,  tlieir  cycles,  constclhitions,  elements,  and, 
in  sliort,  an  abstract  of  all  their  astronomical  or  astrological  science,  is  quite  suffi- 
cient to  settle  that  point.  Those  who  arc  acqi\aintcd  with  the  Chinese  cha- 
racter will  not  readily  admit  that  their  lonpr-established  suiierstit^ons  i^hoiilii 
be  foiuid  incorporated  on  an  ii.stntmcnr  of  Uarharian  invention. 


44  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

journals  by  the  appellation  of  the  first,  second,  third,  &c. 
mandarine's  bonnets. 

Determining  now  to  a^^ail  ourselves  of  the  ad\'ice  given  by 
the  magistrate  of  Chu-san,  and  to  navigate  fi'om  port  to  port, 
we  here  procured  t^vo  new  pilots  to  cany  the  ships  to  Mee- 
a-taw.  They  brought  us,  indeed,  to  this  place,  but,  instead 
of  a  harbour,  we.  found  only  a  narrow  strait,  \vith  a  rapid  tide 
setting  tlirough  it,  and  rocky  anchoring- ground.  On  the 
hiiore  of  the  continent  was  a  city  of  considerable  extent,  under 
tlic  walls  of  which,  next  the  sea,  w^s  a  bason  or  dock,  filled 
vvith  vessels,  tlie  capacity  of  which  might  be  fi-om  ten  to  one 
liundred  tons. 

The  governor  of  this  city  (the  name  of  which  we  learned 
to  be  Ten-tchoo-foo)  paid  his  respects  to  the  embassador  on 
boDjd  the  Lion,  and  obser\'ed,  in  the  course  of  conversation, 
that  his  orders  from  court  were  to  render  all  the  service  in  his 
power  to  the  embassy,  and  to  provide  proper  means  of  con- 
ve}-ance,  either  by  land  or  by  sea.  He  seemed  to  be  about  the 
age  of  fi\^e  and  thirty,  a  man  of  frank  and  easy  manners,  cour- 
teous, intelligent,  and  inquisiti\'e.  He  stood  higher  in  the 
opinion  of  all  of  us  tlian  any  we  had  }"et  seen.  The  followig 
morning  he  sent  off  ■v\'hat  he  was  pleased  to  call  a  trifling  re- 
freshm.ent,  Avhich  consisted  of  four  bullocks,  eight  sheep, 
eight  goats,  fi^'e  sacks  of  fine  v/liite  rice,  five  sacks  of  red  rice, 
two  hundred  pounds  of  flour,  and  several  baskets  of  fi^uit  and 
vegetables. 

We  have  always  been  taught  to  belie\^e  that  the  Chinese 
consider  us  as  Barbai'ians ;  but  we  have  hitlierto  no  reason  to 
say  that  they  treated  us  as  such.  At  all  events  it  was  ob^dous 
that  the  expected  aiTival  of  the  British  embassy  had  made  no 
slip;ht  impression  on  the  court  of  Pekin. 

Here  we  once  more  ventured  on  another  pilot  to  carry  the 
ships  across  the  giilph  of  Pe-tche-lee  to  Tien-sing.  He  was 
an  old  man  of  70  years,  and  seemed  to  possess  a  perfect  know- 
ledge of  all  the  bays  aud  hai'bours  in  the  gulph.  He  drew, 
on  paper,  the  sketch  of  a  port  on  the  western  coast,  to  which 
he  undertook  to  carry  the  ships.  Fortunately,  however,  for 
us,  it  was  considered  rnore  safe  to  send  the  small  brigs  a-head 
to  sound,  than  to  place  any  confidence  in  men  who  had  al- 
ready so  often  deceived  us.  They  had  scarcely  depaited, 
before  the  signal  of  danger  was  made;  a  new  course  was 
steered  for  the  night,  and  eai'ly  the  following  morning,  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  45 

same  signal  was  repeated.  No  land  was  now  in  sight,  yet  the 
water  had  shallowed  to  six  fathoms ;  it  was,  therefoie,  deemed 
prudent  to  come  to  an  anchor.  It  was  a  very  unusual  situation 
for  such  large  ships  tp  ride  thus  at  anchor  in  the  middle  of  a 
strange  sea,  imd  out  of  sight  of  land,  yet  liable,'  in  case  of 
blowing  weather,  to  strike  against  the  bottom. 

The  commanders  of  the  ships  were  exasperated  against  tlie 
pilots,  and  these,  on  their  piut,  were  almost  petrified  Avith 
fear.  The  poor  creatures  had  done  their  best ;  but  they  pos- 
sessed neither  skill  nor  judgment,  or,  perhaps,  it  may  l^e 
more  chai-itable  to  suppose  that  they  were  confused  by  the 
novelty  of  their  situation.  It  was  in  vain  to  endeaAOur  to 
make  them  comprehend  the  difference  in  the  draught  of 
water,  between  their  OAvn  ships  and  ours,  which,  in  the  lat- 
ter, was  as  mimv  fathoms,  as  feet  in  the  former,  although  they 
Av^re  palpably  shoA\'n,  b}-  a  piece  of  rope,  the  depth  that  Avas 
required. 

As  it  was  evidently  impracticable  to  proceed  fartlier  Avitli 
our  OA\n  ships  towards  the  land,  ^^ hich  a\\^  now  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  miles  distant,  and  so  very  low  as  not  to  be  A'isible 
from  the  deck,  one  of  the  tenders  A\'as  dispatched  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Pei-ho,  or  wliite  riAcr,  to  report  oiu*  arri\'al.  Here 
two  officers  from  the  court  had  already  embarked,  to  wint  on 
tlie  embassador,  ccirrying  \\ith  them  a  present  of  refreshments, 
consisting  of  bullocks,  hogs,  sheep,  poultry,  wine,  fruit,  and 
vegetables,  in  such  quantities,  as  to  be  more  tlian  sufficient 
for  a  week's  consumption  of  the  Avhole  squadron,  amounting 
nearly  to  six  hundred  men.  It  consisted  in  twenty  small  bul- 
locks, one  hundred  hogs,  one  hundred  sheep,  one  thousand 
fowls,  three  thousand  pumpkins,  as  many  melons,  apples, 
pears,  plums,  apricots,  and  other  fruits,  with  an  abundance 
of  culinary  vegetables.  The  wine  was  contained  in  large 
earthen  jars  whose  co\'crs  A\-ere  closely  luted.  Numbers  of 
the  hogs  and  the  fow  Is  had  been  bruised  to  death  on  the  pas- 
sage, \\ Inch  \\ere  thrown  overboard  from  the  Lion  with  dis- 
dain, but  the  Chinese  eagerly  picked  them  up,  washed  then) 
clean,  and  laid  them  in  salt. 

The  number  of  vessels  tliey  had  dispatched  to  take  on 
shore  the  presents  and  the  baggage  was  between  thirty  and 
forty,  the  capacity  of  each  not  being  less,  and  many  of  them 
more,  dian  two  hundred  tons ;  so  im|x?rfect  a  judgment  had 
tliese  people  formed  of  die  quantit}'  of  luticlcs  to  be  ti'anship- 


46  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

ped.  These  were  the  \'essels  whose  holds  were  divided  into 
thirteen  distinct  compartments,  separated  by  partitions  of  two 
inch  plank,  the  scams  of  which  were  caulked  \\ith  a  prepa- 
ration of  fine  lime,  made  from  shells  and  fibres  of  bamboo,  in 
order  to  render  them  water-tight.  Their  sails,  cables,  rig- 
ging and  cordage  Mere  all  made  of  bamboo ;  and  neither  pitch 
nor  tar  was  used  on  tliese  or  au}^  part  of  the  wood- work. 

We  detained  about  fifteen  of  these  vessels,  to  take  on  shore 
the  embassador's  suite,  the  presents  for  the  emperor,  and  the 
baggage ;  after  ^vhich  the  British  ships  returned  to  Chu-san, 
without  the  assistance  of  the  Chinese  pilots,  whose  skill  in 
navigation  w'as  held  very  cheap,  by  the  lowest  seaman  on 
boai'd. 

On  entering  the  Pei-ho  we  observed  a  number  of  buildings 
erected  on  the  right  bank,  with  roofs  of  matting,  but  decor- 
ated in  the  most  fantastical  manner,  with  difterent  coloured 
ribbands  and  variegated  silks ;  and  about  three  hundred  sol- 
diers in  their  uniforms  (which  appeai^ed  to  our  eye  not  much 
adapted  to  military  purposes)  were  drawn  out,  with  a  band  of 
music,  near  a  temporary  landing-place,  constructed  of  wood; 
all  of  ^^"hich  we  understood  had  been  hastily  prepared  for  the 
reception  of  the  embassador ;  but  as  his  excellency  was  desi- 
rous of  reaching  the  capital  without  delay,  he  declined  going 
on  shore,  preferring  to  step  into  the  accommodation-}^achts  at 
once,  tliat  were  ready  to  receive  him,  a  little  higher  up  the 
ri"V'cr,  the  moment  that  the  presents  should  be  transhipped 
into  the  river  craft.  The  officers  \vho  were  deputed  to  conduct 
hun  to  the  capital  obser\  ed,  that  so  much  haste  ^vas  not  at  all 
necessar}'',  as  tlie  emperor's  birth-day  ^\'as  yet  distant ;  these 
people  ha\dng  no  other  idea  of  an  embass}^,  as  it  seemed,  than 
that  of  its  being  a  mere  compliment  to  their  sovei-eign.  The 
vellow  flags  displayed  at  the  mast-heads  of  the  river-fleet, 
laden  M-ith  the  presents,  and  consisting  of  se\'enteen  sail,  g^ve, 
indeed,  a  more  extended  meaning  of  such  a  mission.  These 
flags,  in  broad  black  cliaracters,  bore  the  folloAving  inscrip- 
tion :  "  The  English  embassador  carrying  tribute  to  tiie  em- 
peror of  China." 

We  found  the  yachts,  that  were  destined  to  convey  us,  ex- 
ceedingly convenient ;  more  so,  indeed,  than  any  I  have  seen 
on  our  canals  of  England.  They  are  flat-bottomed,  and 
draw^  onl}'^  about  fifteen  inches  of  water.  Tb.eir  upper  works 
are  high,  appearing  like  a  floating  house.     T'hey  have  three 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  47 

apartments  for  the  accommodation  of  passengers ;  the  first  an 
antichambcr  for  the  scnants  and  baggage  ;  the  middle  a  com- 
modious sitting  imd  dining  room,  about  fifteen  feet  square ; 
and  the  third  dh  ided  into  two  or  three  sleeping  rooms.  Be- 
hind these  is  the  kitchen ;  and  still  faither  aft,  small  places, 
like  dog  kennels,  for  the  boatmen.  Sometimes  there  is  a 
kind  of  second  stor}-,  upon  tlie  q:>iu-tments,  divided  into  little 
cells,  that  are  just  the  length  and  breadth  of  a  man.  A  Chi- 
nese sailor  requires  no  room  for  luggage,  his  A^•hole  \\-ardiobc 
being  general!}-  on  his  back.  In  tlie  dift'erent  operations  em- 
ployed for  making  the  yachts  proceed,  diey  gi^'e  no  interrup- 
tion to  the  passengers.  A  projecting  gang^\  ay  on  each  side 
of  the  vessel,  made  of  broad  planks,  senes  as  tlie  passage 
fi^om  one  end  to  the  otlier. 

The  t^\•o  officers  that  Mere  sent  from  court,  to  conduct  the 
embassador  to  the  capitiil,  piiid  a  visit  to  ever}-  yacht,  and  shew- 
ed the  most  earnest  desire  to  please  and  to  m:ike  us  comforta- 
ble. Their  names  were  Van  and  Chou,  to  ^\  hich  the}-  annex- 
ed tlie  title  of  Ta-gin,  or  gi'eat  mtui.  \'an  had  the  rank  of  a 
lieutenant-general  in  the  aimy,  and  Chou  >\ as  the  go\ enior  of 
a  district  in  Pe-tchc-lec.  We  observed,  in  tlieir  manners,  no 
indication  of  tliat  stiff  and  ceremonious  conduct,  which  cus- 
tom obliges  them  to  put  on  in  public.  On  the  conti-ai-}-,  they 
sat  down  to  table  \\  ith  us,  endea^oin  big  to  leani  the  use  of  the 
knife  and  fork,  and  made  themselves  extremely  agi'eeable ; 
lamented  they  were  not  able  to  hold  con\'ersation  \^  ith  us,  in 
our  o\\n  language ;  and,  on  going  away,  shook  hands  with 
us,  like  Englishmen. 

Provisions,  fruit,  and  wines,  such  as  the  countr}-  affoids, 
were  sent  on  boaid,  in  such  profusion,  that  I  really  believe 
the  Chinese  boatmen,  in  tlie  course  of  die  passage  up  this 
ri\  er,  were  enabled  to  lav  by  their  \\  inter's  stock  from  the 
sui'pliis.  In  tiiith,  as  Sir  George  Staunton  has  observed,  the 
hospitality,  attention,  and  respect,  we  hitherto  experienced, 
were  such  as  strangers  meet  -widi  only  in  the  eastern  jxirts  of 
the  world. 

Nothing  that  could  convc}-  the  idea  of  extraordinar}'-  wealth 
or  comfort  among  the  inhabitants,  or  of  extraordinary  abun- 
dance and  fertility  in  the  country,  (unless  in  the  copious  sup- 
plies of  our  pro\ isions)  had  }et  occun'cd,  either  at  Chu-san 
or  in  the  first  three  da}s'  sail  up  the  Pei-ho  towards  the  capital. 
The  land,  on  botli  sides,  was  low  and  flat;  and  instead  of 


♦8  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

hedge-rows,  trenches  were  dug  to  mark  the  boundaries  of 
property.  A  small  proportion  only  \vus  under  cultivation. 
The  greater  part  appeared  to  be  sour  s\^  ampy  ground,  cover- 
ed Avith  coarse  grass,  rushes,  and  the  common  reed.  There 
were  few  ti-ees,  except  near  the  villages,  which  were  of  mean 
appearance ;  the  houses  generally  consisting  of  mud  walls,  one 
stoiy  in  height,  and  thatched  with  straw  or  rushes.  Here  and 
there  a  solitar}-  cottage  intervened,  but  nothing  that  bore  any 
resemblance  to  the  residence  of  a  gentleman,  or  that  could  even 
be  called  a  comfortable  fami-house.  And  although  villages 
were  numerous,  no  assemblage  of  houses  \\'ere  perceived,  that 
properly  could  be  classed  under  the  name  of  a  town,  except 
that  of  See-koo,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  Ta-koo,  a 
few  miles  higher,  until  we  proceeded  to  the  distance  of  about 
ninety  miles,  when  we  entered  the  subm'bs  of  the  lai'ge  city 
of  Tien-sing,  stretching,  like  London  on  the  Thames,  for 
seveiTd  miles  along  each  bank  of  the  river  Pei-ho.  But  nei- 
ther the  buildings  nor  the  river  would  bear  any  comparison, 
even  with  those  parts  about  RedrilFe  and  Wapping.  Every 
tiling,  in  fact,  that  we.  had  mcherto  seen,  vrore  an  air  of  poverty 
and  meanness.  After  a  long  confinement  on  board  a  ship,  to 
those  at  least  who  are  not  accustomed  to  it,  almost  any  country 
appears  to  possess  the  charms  of  a  paradise ;  yet,  on  our  first 
landing  in  this  celebrated  empire  to  the  present  place,  which 
is  no  great  distimce  fi-cm  the  capital,  1  am  persuaded,  that 
every  individual  of  the  embassy  felt  himself  rather  disappoint- 
ed in  the  expectations  he  had  fomied.  If  any  thing  excited 
admiration,  it  was  the  vast  multitudes  of  people  tliat,  from  our 
first  anival,  had  daily  flocked  down  to  the  banks  of  the  river, 
of  both  sexes  and  of  all  ages.  Their  general  appearance,  how- 
ever, Was  not  such  as  to  indicate  any  extraordinary  degree  of 
happiness  or  comfort.  The  best  dressed  men  wore  a  sort  of 
\clvet  cap  on  their  heads ;  a  short  jacket,  buttoned  close  round 
the  neck,  and  folded  across  the  breast,  the  sleeves  remarkably 
wide ;  the  materials  cotton  cloth,  black,  blue,  or  brown  silk, 
or  European  camblet ;  they  wore  quilted  petticoats,  and  black 
satin  boots.  The  common  people  were  dressed  in  lai"ge  straw 
hats,  blue  or  black  cotton  frocks,  wide  cotton  trowsers,  and 
thick  clumsy  shoes,  sometimes  made  of  straw.  Some  had 
coarse  stockings  of  cotton  clodi ;  the  legs  of  others  ^verc 
naked.  A  single  pair  of  ckawers  constituted,  indeed,  the 
whole  clothing  of  a  great  portion  of  the  crowd. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  49 

Never  were  poor  women  fitted  out  in  a  style  so  disad\'an- 
tageous  for  setting  off  their  charms  as  those  who  made  their 
appeai'ance  on  the  banks  of  the  Pei-ho ;  and  we  after\yards 
found  that  the  dress  of  these,  with  some  slight  variations, 
was  the  common  mode  of  the  countr}^  Bunches  of  large 
artificial  flowers,  generally  resembling  asters,  ^\'hose  colours 
were  red,  blue,  or  yellow,  were  stuck  in  their  jet-black  hair, 
which,  without  any  pretensions  to  taste  or  freedom,  was 
scrcAved  up  close  behind,  and  folded  into  a  ridge,  or  knot, 
across  the  crouii  of  die  head,  not  \'ery  unlike  (except  in  the 
want  of  taste)  to  the  present  mode  in  which  die  young  ladies 
of  England  braid  their  locks.  T\vo  bodkins  of  silver,  brass, 
or  iron,  were  conspicuously  placed  behind  the  head,  in  the 
form  of  an  oblique  cross,  \\hich  is  the  common  mode  of  Ma- 
lay Axomen.  Their  fiices  and  necks  were  daubed  \\ ith  wliitc 
paint,  the  eye-brows  blackened,  and,  on  the  centre  of  the 
lower  lip,  and  at  die  point  of  the  chin,  were  two  spots,  al^out 
the  size  of  a  small  \vafer,  of  a  deep  vermillion  colour.  A  blue 
cotton  frock,  like  that  of  the  men,  reaching  in  some  to  the 
middle  of  the  thigh,  in  others  to  the  knee,  was  almost  uni- 
versal. A  piiir  of  Avide  ti'o\vsers,  of  different  colours,  but 
commonly  either  red,  green,  or  yellow,  extended  a  little  be- 
low the  calf  of  the  leg,  where  they  A\^ere  drawn  close,  in  order 
the  better  to  display  an  ancle  and  a  foot,  AA'hich,  for  singularity 
at  least,  may  challenge  the  Avliole  Avorld.  This  distorted  and 
disproportionate  member  consists  of  a  foot  that  has  been 
cramped  in  its  growth,  to  the  length  of  four  or  five  inches, 
and  an  ankle  that  is  generally  swollen  in  the  same  proportion  as 
the  foot  is  diminished.  The  little  shoe  is  as  fine  as  tinsel  and 
tawdry  can  make  it,  and  die  ankle  is  bandaged  round  AAith 
party-coloured  clothes,  ornamented  with  fringe  and  tassels ; 
and  such  a  leg  and  foot,  thus  dressed  out,  are  considered,  in 
China,  as  superlatively  beautiful. 

The  constant  pain  and  uneasiness  that  female  childi'en  must 
necessarily  suffer,  in  the  act  of  compressing,  by  means  of  ban- 
dages, the  toes  under  the  sole  of  the  foot,  and  retaining  diem 
in  that  position  until  they  literally  grow  into  and  become  a  part 
of  it,  and  by  forcing  the  heel  forwaixl,  until  it  is  entirely  ob- 
literated, make  it  the  more  wonderful  how  a  custom,  so  un- 
natural and  inliuman,  should  lia\'e  continued  for  so  many 
ages ;  at  least,  such  is  the  opinion,  that  its  origin  is  entirely 

G 


50  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

iiiikno^\Ti,  or  explained  b}'  such  fabulous  absurdities  as  ai'C 
too  ridiculous  to  assign  for  its  adoption. 

Yew  sa\agc  trllx^s  are  without  the  unnatural  custom  of 
maiming  or  lopping  oil'  some  pait  of  the  human  body ;  as 
boring  the  lips  and  the  caitilege  of  the  nose,  drawing  or 
colouring  the  teeth,  cutting  off  a  joint  from  the  fingers  or  toes, 
and  otherwise  practising,  as  they  must  suppose,  impro^■cments 
on  nature.  But  on  this  consideration  it  would  scarcely  be  fair 
to  conclude,  that  maiming  tlie  feet  of  the  Chinese  ladies  de- 
rived its  origin  from  a  period  of  time  "v^hen  they  were  yet  in 
a  savage  state,  since  we  ai-e  in  the  daily  habit  of  obsei^'ing  the 
most  civihzed  and  enlightened  societies  studying  to  find  out 
beauties  in  defects,  and  creatinfjc  them  where  nature  had  in- 
tended  perfection.  The  Chinese  ^vould  no  doubt  be  equally 
surprised  at,  and  consider  as  egi-egiously  absurd,  the  custom 
of  circumcision,  as  practised  by  a  great  portion  of  Asiatic 
nations ;  nor  iiave  we  any  reason  to  think  tlirey  "\\'ould  not 
condemn  the  refinemicnt  of  docks  and  crops  among  our  horses 
as  an  absurd  custom,  not  less  ridiculous  in  their  eyes  than  the 
little  feet  of  their  ladies  are  in  ours.  If  they  could  not  refrain 
from  bursting  into  fits  of  laughter,  on  exam.ining  the  grease 
aiid  powder  with  which  our  hair  v^'as  disfigured ;  and  if  they 
sometimes  lamented  that  so  much  oil  and  flour  had  unneces- 
Siiriiy  been  wasted ;  we  miglit,  perliajDS,  in  the  i-anity  of  self-, 
im.portance,  affect  to  pity  their  taste  :  but,  setting  custom  and 
prejudice  apart,  we  had  certainly  no  great  reason  to  despise 
and  ridicule  the  Chinese,  or  indeed  any  other  nation,  merely 
because  they  differ  from  us  in  the  little  points  of  dress  and 
manners,  seeing  how  very  nearly  we  am  match  them  ^^•ith 
similar  follies  and  absurdities  of  our  0"\mi. 

T'he  silence  of  die  earliest  travellers  into  China,  on  so  ex- 
traordinar}'  a  custom,  would  almost  wan-ant  a  conjecture  that, 
notwithstanding  the  pretended  ignorance  of  the  Chinese  with 
regard  to  its  origin,  both  the  fashion  and  die  sentiment  of  its 
being  vulg-ar  for  ladies  to  be  seen  abroad  were  only  adopted 
within  die  period  of  a  few  centuries.  The  Venetian  traveller, 
although  he  makes  frequent  mention  of  the  beauty  and 
dress  of  the  Avomen,  takes  no  notice  of  this  singular  fa- 
shion ;  and  he  observes  that  on  the  lake  of  Hang-tchoo-foo 
the  ladies  are  accustomed  to  take  their  pleasure  with  their 
husbands  arfd  theu*  families.     The  enirbassadors  also  of  Shah 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  51 

Rokh,  tlic  son  of  Tamerlane,  who,  in  the  year  1419,  were 
sent  to  congratulate  the  emjx^ror  of  China,  siate,  in  the  niura- 
tive  of  their  expedition  that,  at  their  pubhc  reception,  there 
stood  two  young  ^'irgins,  one  on  each  side  of  the  thron.e,  with 
their  faces  and  bosoms  uncovered ;  that  they  ^\ere  I'umishcd 
with  paper  and  pencils,  and  took  down,  with  gi'eat  attention, 
every  word  that  the  emperor  spoke.  These  embassadors  saw- 
also  numbers  of  women  in  open  baths,  neai'  the  Yellow  river ; 
and,  in  one  city,  diey  remark  that  "  there  were  many  tavems, 
*'  at  the  doors  of  which  sat  a  number  of  young  girls  of  extiTi- 
"  ordinar}^  beauty."  Nor  do  the  travels  of  two  Mahomedans 
into  China,  in  tlie  ninth  centuiy,  published  by  IVIr.  Renaudot, 
make  any  mention  of  tlie  uhnatunil  smallness  of  tlie  women's 
feet ;  and  they  aie  not,  by  any  means,  deficient  in  th<?ir  obser- 
vations of  the  manners  and  customs  of  tliis  nation,  at  that  time 
so  ^'ery  little  kno\m  to  die  rest  of  the  world.  Almost  ca  cry- 
thing  they  have  related  concerning  China,  at  this  eai'h'  period, 
is  found  to  be  true  at  the  present  da}" ;  and  its  the}"  particularh- 
notice  the  dress  and  ornaments  w^orn  b}-  the  Avomai,  one  would 
think  they  would  not  have  omitted  a  custom  sa  singular  in  its 
kind  as  diat  of  maiming  the  feet,  if  it  had  then  been  as  common 
as  it  now^  is. 

This  monstrous  fashion  has  generally  been  attributed  to  the 
jealousy  of  the  men.  Admitting  tliis  to  have  been  tlie  case, 
the  Chinese  must  be  allowed  to  be  well  versed  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  sex,  to  have  so  far  g-ained  the  ascendancy  o\er 
them,  as  to  prevail  upon  diem  to  adopt  a  fashion,  which  re- 
quired a  \oluntary  rclinquishmelit  of  one  of  the  greatest  plea- 
sures and  blessings  of  life,  the  foculty  of  locomotion  ;  and  to 
contrive  to  render  this  fashion  so  universal,  diat  an}-  dcAiation 
from  it  should  be  considered  as  disgraceful.  The  desire  of 
being  thought  superior  to  the  rest  of  his  fellows  sometimes, 
indeed,  leads  a  man  into  strange  extravagancies.  Upon  this 
principle  the  men  of  learning,  as  the}-  are  pleased  to  style 
diemselves,  suffer  the  nails  of  their  little  fingers  to  gi'ow*  some- 
times to  the  enormous  length  of  three  inches,  for  tlie  sole  piii-- 
pose  of  gi^■ing  oculai*  demonstration  of  the  impossibility  of 
their  being  employed  in  Liny  sort  of  manvml  labour  ;  and  upon 
die  same  principle,  perhaps,  the  ladies  of  China  ma}-  be 
mduccd  to  continue  tlie  custom  of  maiming  dieir  female 
ji;fants,  in  order  that  dicli-  childi'en  may  be  distinguished  froui 


52  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

tliose  of  the  peasaiitr}-,  who,  in  most  of  the  pro\  inces,  are 
condemned  to  submit  to  the  diTidgen-  of  the  field. 

The  interior  ^vrappers  of  the  ladies'  feet  are  said  to  be  seldom 
changed,  remaining,  sometimes,  until  tliey  can  no  longer  hold 
together  ;  a  custom  tliat  conveys  no  veiy  favourable  idea  of 
Chinese  cleanliness.  This,  indeed,  forms  no  part  of  their 
character ;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  wliat  Swift  would  call  a 
frowzy  people.  The  comfort  of  clean  linen,  or  frequent 
change  of  under-gai'ments,  is  equally  unknown  to  the  sove- 
reign and  to  the  peasant.  A  sort  of  thin  coai'se  silk  supplies 
tlie  place  of  cotton  or  linen  next  the  skin,  among  the  upper 
ranks  ;  but  the  common  people  wear  a  coarse  kind  of  open 
cotton  cloth.  These  vestments  are  more  rarely  removed  for 
the  pui'pose  of  ^^^ashing  than  for  that  of  being  replaced  witli 
new  ones  ;  and  the  consequence  of  such  neglect  or  economy 
is,  as  might  naturally  be  supposed,  an  abundant  increase 
of  those  vermin  to  whose  production  filthiness  is  found  to  be 
most  favourable.  The  highest  officers  of  state  made  no  hesi- 
tation of  calling  their  attendants  in  public,  to  seek,  in  their 
necks,  for  those  troublesome  animals,  which ^\\l"ien  caught,  they 
\^ery  composedly  put  between  their  teeth.  They  carry  no 
pocket-handkerchiefs ;  but  generally  blow  their  noses  into  small 
squai'e  pieces  of  paper,  which  some  of  their  attendants  have 
ready  prepared  for  the  pui'pose.  Mai-.y  are  not  so  cleanly  ; 
but  spit  about  the  rooms,  or  against  the  walls,  like  the  French ; 
and  diey  \\ipe  their  diity  hands  in  the  sleeves  of  their  go^^ns. 
They  sleep  at  night  in  the  same  clothes  that  tliey  wear  by 
day.  Theii-  bodies  are  as  seldom  washed  as  their  articles  of 
dress.  They  never  make  use  of  the  bath,  neither  warm  nor 
cold.  Notwithstanding  the  vast  number  of  rivers  and  canals, 
Avith  which  every  pait  of  the  country  is  intersected,  I  do  not 
remember  to  have  seen  a  single  groupe  of  boys  bathing. 
The  men,  in  the  hottest  day  of  summer,  make  use  of  warm 
water  for  washing  the  hand  s  and  face.  They  are  unacquainted 
with  the  use  of  soap.  We  procured,  in  Pekin,  a  sort  of 
barrilla,  Avith  ^\'hich,  and  apricot  oil,  vie  manufactured  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  this  article  to  wash  our  linen,  which,  how- 
ever, we  were  under  the  necessity  of  getting  done  by  our  own 
sei'vants. 

On  approaching  the  town  of  Tien- sing  we  observed  a  pro- 
digious number  of  large  stacks  of  salt,  piled  up  m  sacks  of 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  53 

matting.  The  quantity  thus  stored  Avas  found,  on  rough 
calculation,  to  be  suificient  for  the  consumption  of  thirty  milli- 
ons of  people,  for  a  w^hole  year.  Such  a  surprising  ap^gre- 
gateof  one  of  the  useful  and  almost  necessary  articles  oi  life, 
was  a  preparative,  in  some  measure,  for  the  \ast  mukitudes  of 
people  which  appeared  on  our  passing  this  northern  emporium 
of  Cliina.  The  gabelle,  or  duty  on  salt,  which  the  government 
here,  as  \\ell  as  elsewhere,  had  found  convenient  to  impo3e  on 
one  of  the  indispensable  articles  of  life,  partly  accounted  for 
such  an  extraordhiary  accumulation.  'I'he  collector  of  the 
salt  duties  of  Tien-sing  held  one  of  the  most  lucrative  appoint- 
ments in  the  gift  of  the  croun. 

The  cro\\'ds  of  liu-ge  vessels,  lying  close  together  along  the 
sides  of  the  river ;  the  various  kinds  of  craft  passing  and 
repassing  ;  the  towii,  manufactories,  and  WcU"ehouscs,  extend- 
ing on  each  bank,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  inchcuted  a 
spirit  of  commerce,  far  beyond  any  thing  •we  had  hitherto  met 
witli.  The  large  vessels,  the  small  crait,  the  boats,  the  shores, 
the  walls  surrounding  the  houses,  the  roofs,  "\\-ere  all  co\'ered 
with  spectators.  Our  bai'ges,  being  retai-ded  in  the  naiTO)v 
passages  among  the  shipping,  were  at  least  two  hours  in  reach- 
ing the  head  of  the  town.  During  the  whole  time  the  popu- 
lace stood  in  the  M'ater,  the  front  rank  up  to  the  middle,  to  get 
a  peep  at  the  strangers.  Hitherto,  among  the  spectators,  there 
had  generally  appeai'ed  full  as  many  of  the  fair  sex  as  of  the 
other ;  and  the  elderly  dames,  in  particuku",  had  been  so  cuj-i- 
ous  as  to  dip  their  little  stumps  into  the  water,  in  order  to 
have  a  peep  into  the  barges,  as  they  glided  slowly  along;  but 
here,  among  tlie  ^^"hole  crowd,  not  a  single  female  wlis  visible. 
Although  the  day  was  extremely  sultr\-,  the  thermometer 
of  Fahrenheit  being  88°  in  the  shade,  as  a  mutual  accomoda- 
tion, their  heads  were  all  uncovered,  and  their  bakl  pates  ex- 
posed to  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun.  It  Wiis  an  uncommon 
spectacle,  to  see  so  many  bronze-like  heads,  stuck  as  close 
togethej',  tier  above  tier,  as  Hogarth's  groupe,  intended  to  dis- 
play the  difference  between  cliaracter  an.d  caricature  ;  but  it 
lacked  the  variety  of  countenance  which  this  artist  b.as,  in  an 
inimitable  manner,  displayed  in  his  picture. 

The' deep  sounding  gong,  a  sort  of  brazen  kettle  struck  with 
a  mallet,  and  used  in  the  barges  to  direct  the  motions  of  the 
trackers  on  shore,  the  kettle-drums  and  the  trumpets  in  tr^c 
military  band,  the  slirill  music  and  squalling  recitative  in  tlie 


54  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

theatre,  A\hich  ■v\-as  entirely  open  in  front,  and  facing  the 
ri^cr,  in  full  view  of  the  cro\vd  ;  the  number  of  temporary 
booths  and  buildings,  erected  forthe  useof  the  viceroy,  governor^ 
judges,  and  other  officers  of  government,  and  gaily  decorated 
Avith  ribbands  and  silken  streamei's  ;  the  buzz  and  merriment 
of  tlie  crowd  ;  had,  altogether,  so  striking  an  affinity  to  the 
usual  enteitiiinments  of  liiutholomew  fair,  that  no  extraordi- 
nary stretch  of  the  imagination  was  required  to  suppose  our- 
jieh  es  for  the  moment  to  have  been  tnmspoited  into  Smithfield. 
Wc  instantly  accjuitted  the  Chinese  of  any  want  of  curiosity. 
TiTC  aiTival  of  Eifi  Bey  in  London  drew  not  half  the  crowd  ; 
and  }'et  the  Chinese  account  us  much  greater  Barbai'ians  than 
we  pretend  to  consider  the  Mamelukes.  The  old  viceroy  of 
the  province,  a  Taitai'  of  mild  and  winning  manners,  had  pre- 
pared for  us  a  most  magnificent  entertainment,  with  wine, 
fruits,  and  great  Miriety  of  pastiy  and  SAveetmeats,  together 
with  presents  of  tea,  silk,  and  nankins,  not  only  to  the  embas- 
sador and  his  suite,  but  also  to  the  serxiuits,  musicians,  and 
soldiers. 

The  cheerful  and  good-natured  countenances  of  the  multi- 
tude Avere  extremely  prepossessing ;  notless  so  theii'  accommo- 
dating behaviour  to  one  another.  There  was  an  innocence 
and  simplicity  in  their  features,  that  seemed  to  indicate  a  happy 
and  contented  turn  of  mind.  This,  however,  being  a  sort  of 
gala  day,  we  might,  on  account  of  the  extraordinary  occasion, 
perhaps,  haAC  \  iewed  them  to  the  best  advantage  ;  yet  the  same 
cheerflil  and  willing  mind  had  constantly  sh(3\Mi  itself  on  all 
occasions,  by  all  those  who  were  employed  in  the  service  of  tlie 
embassy.  On  board  the  yachts  constant  mirth  and  good 
humour  prevailed  among  the  seamen.  When  the  A\eather  was 
calm,  the  vessels  were  generally  pushed  on  by  means  of  two 
ku'ge  sculls,  or  oai's,  turning  upon  pivots,  that  were  placed  in 
projecting  pieces  of  wood  neai-  the  bow  of  the  vessel,  and  not 
the  stem,  as  is  the  practice  of  most  other  nations.  From  six 
to  ten  men  are  required  to  Avork  one  of  these  oars,  ^^-hich,  instead 
of  being  talc  en  out  of  the  A\ater,  as  in  tlie  act  of  rowing,  are 
moved  back^^-ai-ds  and  forwards  under  the  surface,  in  a  similar 
raanncr  to  what  in  England  is  understood  b}'  sculling.  To 
ii,9;hten  their  labour,  and  assist  in  keeping  time  widi  the  strokes, 
the  following  rude  air  was  generally  sung  by  the  master,  to 
\\h\d\  the  whole  crew  used  to  join  in  chorus  : 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


AIR. 


Solo 
by  tlie  mas.ter. 


Chorus 
by  tlie  crew. 


Hai-\o  hai-vau  hai-vo 


-*- 


:=;i^: 


^^^-i^gg^t 


hai  -  wfia        de 


hai-yau  liai-yo  Ii 


hai-yau      hai-yau 


hdi-yo  Iiai-yau 


On  many  a  calm  still  e\cnln^^,  \\ hen  a  dead  silence  reig;ied 
upon  the  water,  have  we  listened  \\ ith  pleasure  to  tliis  artless 
and  unpolished  air,  which  was  sung,  A\'ith  little  alteration 
through  the  ^\"holc  fleet.  Extraordir.aiy  exertions  of  bodily 
strength,  depending,  in  a  certain  degree,  on  the  m  illingnies:', 
of  the  mind,  are  frequently  accompanied  with  exliilaratiiig 
exclamations  among  the  most  sa^•age  people ;  but  the  Chinese 
song  could  not  be  considered  in  this  point  of  view.  Like 
the  exclamations  of  our  seamen  in  hauling  the  ropes,  or  the 
oar-song  of  tlie  Hebrideans,  Avhich,  as  Doctor  Johnson  has 
observed,  resembled  the  proceleusmatiek  \erse,  by  w  hich  the 
rowers  of  Grecian  g-alleys  were  animated,  the  chief  object  of 
the  Chiix;se  chorus  seemed  to  be  that  of  combining  chearful- 
ness  widi  regularity. 

**  Verse  sweetens  toil,  liowevcr  rude  the  sound." 

Of  their  honest}^,  sobriet}-,  and  cai'efulness,  we  had  already 
received  couAincing  proofs.  Of  the  number  of  packages, 
amounting  to  more  than  six  hunch-ed,  of  \arious  sizes  and 
descriptions,  not  a  single  ailicle  was  missing  or  injured,  on 
their  anival  at  the  capital,  notwithstanding  they  had  been 
mo\'ed  about,  and  carried  by  land,  and  transhipped  several 
times.     Of  the  three  state  officers,  who  had  been  deputed 


55  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

from  court  to  attend  the  embassy,  tM-o  of  tliem  ^^'ere  the  most 
obliging  and  attenti^'e  creatures  imaginable.  The  third,  a 
Tartiir,  who  first  made  his  appearance  at  Tien-sing,  was  dis- 
tant, proud,  and  imperious.  The  Chinese,  indeed,  were  in- 
^•aliabi}-  more  aflable  tlian  the  Tartars.  In  short,  had  \ve  re- 
turned to  liurope,  \^■ithout  proceeding  farther  in  the  country 
than  Tien-sing,  a  most  hvei}^  impression  w^ould  always  have 
remained  on  my  mind  in  favour  of  the  Chinese.  But  a  variety 
of  incidents,  that  afterwards  occurred,  and  a  more  intimate 
acquaintance  wiih  their  manners  and  habits,  produced  a  woful 
change  of  sentiment  in  this  respect.  Of  such  incidents,  as 
may  lend  to  iUustrate  the  moral  character  of  this  extraordinary 
people,  I  shall  relate  a  few,  that  were  the  most  striking,  in 
taking  a  general  view  of  their  state  of  society ;  to  which,  and 
to  the  nature  of  the  executive  government,  all  their  moral  ac- 
tions may  be  referred :  and  by  the  irJluence  of  A^hich  the 
natural  bent  of  their  cliaracter  evidently  has  undergone  a  com- 
plete change. 

Leaving  Tien-sing  on  the  11th  of  August,  we  found  tlie 
river  considerably  contiacted  in  its  dimxcnsions,  and  the  stream 
more  powerful.  The  surface  of  the  country,  in  fact,  began 
to  assum.e  a  less  unifomi  appeai'ance,  being  now  partly  bro- 
ken into  hill  and  dale ;  but  nothing  approaching  to  a  moun- 
tain was  yet  visible  in  any  dii'ection.  It  was  still,  however, 
scantilv  wooded,  few  trees  appeai'ing  except  large  willows  on 
the  banks,  and  knots  of  elms,  or  firs,  before  the  houses  of 
raen  in  ofiice,  and  the  temples,  both  of  v.  hich  were  generally 
found  at  the  head  of  each  village.  More  grain  was  here  cul- 
tivated than  on  tlie  plains  near  tiie  mouth  of  the  river.  Two 
species  of  millet,  the  panicum  crus  Galli,  and  the  Italicum, 
and  two  of  a  larger  gi"airi,  the  holcus  forghum,  and  the  sac- 
cliaratus,  v.  ere  the  most  abundant.  We  observed  also  a  few 
patclies  of  buck -wheat,  and  different  sorts  of  kidne}'-beans ; 
but  neither  common  wheat,  barley,  nor  oats.  A  species  of 
nettle,  the  urtica  nivea,  was  also  sown  in  square  patches,  for 
the  purpose  of  converting  its  fibres  into  thread,  of  which  they 
manufacture  a  kind  of  cloth.  We  saw  no  gardens  nor  plea- 
5,ure  grounds ;  but  considerable  tracts  of  pasture  or  meadow- 
land  intervened  between  the  villages,  on  A\-hich,  however, 
vrere  few  cattle,  and  those  few  remarkably  small.  Those  we 
procured,  for  the  use  of  the  ships,  along  the  coast  of  the  gulph 
of  Pe-tche-lccj  seldom  exceeded  the  weight  of  two  hundred 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  5? 

pounds.  The  few  sheep  we  saw  were  of  the  broad-tailed 
species ;  and  the  cottages  of  the  peasantry  ^\•ere  ver}'  mean, 
without  any  appearance  of  comfort,  and  tliinly  scattered; 
seldom  standing  alone,  but  generally  collected  into  smiill 
villages. 

If,  however,  cities,  to^\^ls,  villages,  and  farm-houses,  Avcre 
less  abundaTit  so  near  the  capital,  than  from  the  relations  of 
travellers  we  had  expected  to  find  them,  the  multitudes  of 
inliabitants,  whose  constant  dwelling  \vas  on  the  \\'ater,  amply 
made  up  the  apparent  deficiency  on  shore.  We  passed,  in 
one  day,  upon  this  river,  more  tlian  six  hundred  large  vessels, 
having  each  a  range  of  ten  or  twehe  distinct  apartments  built 
upon  the  deck,  and  each  apartment  contained  a  A\hole  family. 
The  number  of  persons  in  one  of  these  vessels,  we  reckoned, 
on  an  average,  to  be  about  fifty ;  and  \\e  actually  counted 
above  one  thousand  vessels  of  this  description,  that  were  float- 
ing on  that  part  of  the  river,  between  Tien-sing  and  Tong- 
tchoo.  The  difierent  kinds  of  craft,  besides  these,  that  were 
perpetually  passing  and  repassing,  or  lying  chained  to  the 
banks  of  the  ri^'er,  all  of  ^vhich  Mere  crowded  with  men, 
women,  and  children,  contained  full  as  many  as  the  lai'gc 
vessels  above  mentioned ;  so  that,  in  the  distance  of  ninety 
miles,  on  this  small  branch  of  a  ri\  er,  there  were  floating  on 
the  water  not  fewer  than  one  huncked  thousand  souls. 

Among  the  dift'erent  cargoes  of  cotton- wool,  copper-money, 
rice,  silk,  salt,  tea,  and  other  commodities  for  the  supply  of 
the  capitiil,  we  observed  an  aiticle  of  commerce,  in  se\'eral  of 
the  large  open  craft,  that  puzzled  us  not  a  little  to  find  out 
for  what  it  was  intended.  It  consisted  of  diy  bro^vn  cakes, 
not  much  lai*ger,  but  thicker,  than  those  we  call  cnimpets. 
A  close  examination,  however,  soon  discovered  the  nature  of 
their  composition,  Avhich,  it  seemed,  w^as  a  mixture  of  every 
kind  of  filth  and  excrementitious  substances,  moulded  into 
their  present  shape,  and  dried  in  the  sun.  In  this  fomi  they 
are  carried  to  the  capital,  as  aiticles  of  merchandize,  where 
they  meet  with  a  read}^  market  from  the  gardeners  in  the  vici- 
nity ;  who,  afl:er  dissolving  them  in  mine,  use  them  for  ma- 
nure. 

Little  occurred,  diatw^s  worthy  of  note,  between  Tien-sing 
and  Tong-tchoo,  except  an  instance  in  the  exercise  of  arbi- 
trary pow^r,  not  less  cruel  than  tliat  of  the  governor  of  Chou- 

H 


58  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

sTdi,  and  ill  agreeing  Avith  the  fcf  lings  of  Englishmen.  Some 
of  our  pi'ovisions  happened  one  moniing  to  be  a  little  tainted, 
wliich  eoiild  not  be  \\ondered  at,  considering  the  heat  of  the 
weather ;  the  mercur}-,  by  Falirenl:ieit's  scale,  being  from  82° 
to  88°.  The  officei-s,  however,  ^^'ho  had  been  commission- 
ed to  fumish  the  supply  of  proA'isions,  Avere  instantly  depriAx^d 
of  their  rank,  and  all  their  serAants  severely  bambooed.  The 
embassador  interceded  with  Van  and  Chou  in  favour  of  the  de- 
graded delinquents,  was  heai'd  "sa  ith  gi'eat  attention,  but  per- 
ceived that  little  indulgence  or  relaxation  from  sti'ict  discipline 
was  to  be  expected  on  such  occasions. 

The  vshole  distance,  from  tlie  entrance  of  the  Pei-ho  to  the 
city  of  Tong-tchoo  is  about  one  hundred  and  scA^enty  miles. 
Here  we  found  tAvo  buildings,  that  had  been  erected  in  the 
space  of  tAA-o  days,  for  the  temporary-  purpose  of  receiving  the 
presents  and  baggage ;  and  they  were  constructed  of  such 
large  dimensions,  that  they  were  capable  of  containing  at 
least  ten  times  the  quantity.  The  materials  were  wooden 
poles  and  mats,  and  a  fence  of  A\ooden  pailing  surrounded 
the  Avhole. 

Vv'^e  too|^  up  our  lodging  in  a  spacious  temple  in  the 
suburbs,  from  m  hence  the  priests  were  turned  out,  without  the 
least  ceremony,  to  make  room  for  us,  consisting  in  the  whole 
of  nearly  one  hundred  persons.  And  here  it  was  settled  we 
should  remain  until  eveiy  article  vvas  landed,  and  coolies  or 
porters  procured,  sufficient  to  carrj'-  the  whole  at  once  to  Pe- 
kin,  which  was  .computed  to  be  about  twelve  miles  to  the 
westAvard  from  this  place.  And  although  near  three  thousand 
men  Avere  required  for  this  purpose,  they  AAcre  supplied  the 
instant  the  goods  aa  ere  all  on  shore  ;  nor  did  it  appear  that  any 
difficult}'  AA'Ould  have  been  foimd  in  raising  double  that  num- 
ber, as  there  seemed  to  be  ten  times  the  number  of  idle  spec- 
tators as  of  persons  employed.  The  plain  betAveen  the  land- 
ing-place iind  the  temple  Avas  like  a  fair,  and  cakes,  rice,  tea, 
and  fruit  upon  masses  of  ice,  and  many  other  refreshments, 
AA-ere  exposed  for  sale,  under  large  square  umbrellas,  that  serv- 
ed instead  of  booths.  A  slice  of  AA'ater-melon,  cooled  on  ice, 
Aras  sold  for  one  tchcn,  a  piece  of  base  copper  coin,  of  the 
^•allle  of  about  three-tentlis  of  a  llirtliing.  Not  a  single  woman 
appeared  among  the  many  thousimd  spectator  that  Avere  as- 
plain. 


CHAP.  III. 

JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  CAPITAL  TO  A  COUNTRY  VILLA  OF 
THE  EMPEROR.— RETURN  TO  PEKIN.— THE  IMPERIAL  PALACE 
AND  GARDENS  OF  YUEN-MIN-YUEN,  AND  THE  PARKS  OF 
GEHOL. 


Order  of  Procession  from  Tong-tchoo  to  tlie  Capital. — Crowd  assembled  on  the 
Occasion. — Appearance  of  Pekin  without  and  within  the  AValls. — Some  Ac- 
count of  this  City. — Proceed  to  a  cotmtry  Villa  of  tlie  Emperor. — Inconveni- 
ences of. — Return  to  Pekin. — Embassador  proceeds  to  Tartary. — Author  sent 
to  tlie  Palace  of  Yuen-min-yuen. — Miserable  Lodij^ngs  of. — Visit  of  the  Presi- 
dent and  Members  of  the  Matlicmatical  TribuiiaJ. — Of  the  Bishop  of  Peldn, 
and  others. — Gill's  Sword-blades. — Hatchett's  Can-iagcs. — Scorpion  found  in  a 
Cask  packed  at  Birmingham. — Portraits  of  English  Nobility. — Effects  of  Ac- 
counts from  Tartary  on  the  Officers  of  State  in  Pekin. — Emperor's  Return  to 
the  Capital. — Inspects  the  Presents. — AppUcation  of  the  Embassador  for  Leave 

to  depart. — Short  Account  of  the  Palace  and  Gardens  of  Yuen-min-Yuen. 

Lord  Macartney's  Description  of  the  Eastern  and  Western  Parks  of  Gchol. 

And  his  general  Remai-ks  en  Chinese  Landscape  Gai-demng. 

THE  presents  for  the  emperor  aiid  our  private  baggiige 
being  all  landed,  the  packages  repaired,  and  e^-eIT  article  mi- 
nutely noted  down  by  the  officers  of  government,  the  porters 
were  directed  to  fix  tlieir  bamboo  beaiing-poles  to  each  pack- 
age, that  no  impediment  might  pre\ent  our  setting  out  at  lui 
eai'ly  hour  in  the  morning.  In  doing  this,  as  Avell  as  landing 
the  ai'ticles  from  the  vessels,  the  Chinese  porters  shewed  such 
expedition,  stix-ngth,  and  acti\  ity,  as  could  not,  I  belie\e,  be 
paralleled  or  procured  in  so  short  a  time,  in  any  other  country. 
Eveiy  thing  here,  in  fact,  seems  to  be  at  die  instant  command 
of  the  state ;  and  the  most  laborious  tasks  ure  undertaken  and 
executed  with  a  readiness,  and  even  a  clieeifulness,  A\hich  on^ 
could  scarcel}'  expect  to  meet  with  in  so  despotic  a  govern- 
ment. 

According  to  the  arnmgement,  on  the  21st  of  August, 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  \\'e  \\ere  prepared  to  set 
out,  but  could  scarcely  be  said  to  be  fairly  in  motion  till  five ; 
and  before  we  had  cleai'ed  the  city  of  Tong-tclioo,  it  was  past 


60  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

six  o'clock.  From  this  city  to  the  capital,  I  may  venture  to 
say,  the  road  ne\  er  before  exliibited  so  motley  a  groupe.  In 
front  marched  about  tliree  thousand  porters,  carr}^Lng  six  hun- 
died  packages ;  some  of  which  were  so  large  and  heavy,  as  to 
require  thirty-two  bearers.  With  these  were  mixed  a  pro- 
portionate number  of  inferior  officers,  each  having  the  charge 
gnd  superintendence  of  a  division.  Next  followed  eighty -five 
waggons,  and  thirty-nine  hand-carts,  each  with  one  wheel, 
loaded  with  wine,  porter,  and  other  European  provisions,  am- 
munition, and  such  hea\y  articles  as  v-tre  not  liable  to  be 
broken.  Eight  light  field-pieces,  which  were  among  the  pre- 
sents for  the  emperor,  closed  this  part  of  the  procession.  Af- 
ter these  pai-aded  the  Tartar  legate,  and  se^'eral  officers  from 
court,  with  their  numerous  attendants ;  some  on  horseback, 
some  in  chans,  and  others  on  foot.  Then  followed  the  em- 
bassador's guard  in  waggons,  the  servants,  musicians,  and 
mechanics,  also  in  waggons ;  the  gentlemen  of  the  suite  on 
horseback,  the  em>bassador,  tlie  minister  plenipotentiary,  his 
son,  and  the  interpreter,  in  four  ornamented  chairs ;  the  rest 
of  the  suite  in  small  covered  carriages  on  two  wheels,  not  un- 
like, in  appeai'ance,  to  our  funeral  hearses,  but  only  about 
half  the  length ;  and,  last  of  all.  Van  and  Chou,  witli  their 
attendants,  closed  this  motley  procession. 

Though  the  distance  was  only  twelve  miles,  it  was  thought 
advisable,  by  our  conductors,  to  halt  for  breakfast,  about  half- 
way ;  for,  as  heavy  bodies  move  slowly,  what  with  the  delay  and 
confusion  in  first  getting  into  order,  and  the  frequent  stoppages 
on  the  road,  we  found  it  was  eight  o'clock  before  the  whole  of 
the  cavalcade  had  reached  the  half-way  house.  Here  we  had 
a  most  sumptuous  breakfast  of  roast  pork  and  venison,  rice  and 
made  dishes,  eggs,  tea,  milk,  and  a  variety  of  fruits  served  up 
on  masses  of  ice. 

The  porters  and  the  heavy  baggage  moved  fonvard,  without 
halting ;  and  ha^dng  ended  our  comfortable  repast,  we  followed 
without  loss  of  time.  We  had  scarcely  proceeded  three 
miles,  till  we  found  the  sides  of  the  road  lined  witli  spectators 
on  horseback,  on  foot,  in  small  carriages  similar  to  those  we 
rode  in,  in  carts,  waggons,  and  chairs.  In  the  last  were 
Chinese  ladies  ;  but,  having  gauze  curtains  at  the  sides  and 
front,  we  could  see  little  oi"  them.  Sevei-al  ^^ell-looking 
women,  in  long  silken  robes,  with  a  great  number  of  children, 
were  in  the  small  carriages.     These  we  understood  to  be 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  61 

Tartars.  A  file  of  soldiers  now  moved  along  ^\ith  tlie  pro- 
cession, on  eacli  side  of  the  road,  armed  with  whips,  Avliich 
they  continually  exercised,  in  order  to  keep  off  the  croA\d,  that  in- 
creased as  we  approached  the  capital,  and,  at  length,  was  so  great 
as  to  obstruct  the  road.  We  observed,  however,  that  though  the 
soldiers  were  very  active  and  noisy  in  brandishing  their  ^vliips, 
they  only  struck  them  against  the  ground,  and  never  let  them 
fall  upon  the  people.  Indeed,  a  Chinese  cro^^•d  is  not  so 
tumultuous  and  unruly  as  it  generally  is  elsewhere. 

The  excessive  heat  of  the  weather,  the  dustiness  of  die  road, 
the  closeness  of  the  caiTiages,  and  the  slow  manner  in  which 
we  moved  along,  would  have  made  this  short  journey  almost 
insupportable,  but  from  the  novelty  of  the  scene,  the  smiles, 
tlie  grins,  the  gestures  of  the  multitude,  and,  above  all,  the 
momentary  expectation  of  entering  the  greatest  city  on  the  surface 
of  the  globe.  Those,  also,  who  had  been  so  unlucivy  as  to  make 
choice  of  the  little  covered  carriages,  found  dicmsclves  ex- 
tremely uncomfoitablCjUothwithstanding  they  ai'e  the  best,  the 
most  easy,  and  genteel,  sort  of  caniage  that  the  couiitiy 
affords.  Being  fixed  on  the  wheels  without  springs,  and  ha\'- 
ing  no  seats  in  the  inside,  they  iU'e,  to  an  European,  who  must 
sit  on  his  haunches,  in  the  bottom,  the  most  uneasy  vehicles 
that  can  be  imagined.  Father  Semedo,  one  of  the  earliest 
missionaries  to  China,  asserts,  that  coaches  were  anciently  in 
common  use  in  this  country,  and  that  tliey  were  laid  down  on 
accoimt  of  the  great  convenience  and  little  expense  of  sedan 
chairs.  The  coaches  alluded  to  by  the  re\'erend  father  ^verc, 
in  all  probability,  the  little  carts  above  mentioned ;  for  not  the 
vestige  of  any  thing  better  is  to  be  found  among  them  ;  not 
the  least  appearance  of  an}-  thing  like  a  spring-caiTiage*  It 
is  more  probable  that  palanquins  and  chairs  have  been  in 
common  use  here  and  in  India,  from  the  earliest  period  of 
their  histories.  The  lectica  of  the  Romans  is  su]Dposed  to 
have  been  brought  to  Rome  in  the  time  of  the  republic,  frorii 
some  of  tlie  eastern  nations. 

The  gi'eat  road  to  the  ca]:>ital  lay  across  an  open  country, 
sandy  and  ill  cultivated,  and  the  few  houses  on  each  side  uere 
of  mean  appearance,  generally  built  widi  mud,  or  half  bui-nt 
bricks,  to  the  very  gates  of  Pekiti.  The  middle  part  of  the 
road,  for  die  width  of  eighteen  or  twenty  feet,  was  paved  with 
stones  of  granite  fi-om  six  to  sixteen  feet  in  length,  and  broad 
Di  proportion.     Every  one  of  these  enormous  flag-stones  must 


62  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

ha^-e  been  brought  at  least  sixty  miles ;  the  nearest  mountains, 
where  quairies  of  granite  ai'e  Ibuiid,  being  those  that  di\dde 
China  fi-om  JMcUitchoo  Tartar}-,  near  the  great  wall. 

A  temple,  on  the  right  of  the  road,  and  a  bridge  of  white 
marble,  having  the  ballustrade  ornamented  ^vith  figures,  meant 
to  represent  lions  and  other  animals,  cut  out  of  the  same  mate- 
rials, were  the  only  objects  that  attracted  any  notice,  until  the 
wails  and  the  lofty  gates  of  the  capital  appeai^ed  in  view.  None 
of  the  buildings  "\\ithin,  on  this  side  of  the  cit}- ,  overtopped 
the  walls,  though  tliese  did  not  appear  to  exceed  twenty-five 
or,  at  most,  thirty  feet  in  height :  they  were  flanked  with 
squaie  towers,  and  suiTounded  by  a  moat  or  ditch.  These 
towers  projected  about  forty  feet  from  the  line  of  the  wall,  and 
were  placed  at  regular  intervals  of  about  seventy  yai'ds,  being 
considered  as  bo^^•-shot  distance,  from  each  other.  Each  had 
a  small  guaixl-house  upon  its  summit.  The  thickness  of  the  base 
of  the  Avail  was  about  twenty-five  feet,  and  the  width  across  the 
top  vrithin  the  pai'apets  t\^ehefeet;  so  that  the  sides  of  the  wall 
have  a  very  considerable  slope,  much  more,  however,  within 
than  Avithout.  The  middle  part  was  composed  of  tlie  eaitli  that 
had  been  dug  out  of  the  ditch  ;  and  was  kept  together  by 
two  retaining  walls,  pail  of  which  were  of  brick  and  part  of 
stone.  The  famous  barrier  on  the  borders  of  Tartaiy,  and 
the  rampails  of  all  tlie  cities  in  the  countiy,  ai'C  built  in  the 
same  manner. 

No  cannon  were  mounted  on  the  aa  alls  nor  on  the  bastions ; 
but,  in  the  high  building  which  surmounted  the  gate,  and 
which  was  several  stories  one  above  the  other,  the  port-holes 
were  closed  with  red  doors,  on  the  outside  of  Avhich  \vere 
painted  the  representations  of  cannon,  not  unlike,  at  a  distance, 
tlie  sliam-ports  in  a  ship  of  war.  The  gates  of  a  Chinese  city 
ai*e  generally  double,  and  placed  in  the  flanks  of  a  square  or 
semicircular  bastion.  The  first  opens  into  a  large  space,  sur- 
rounded with  buildings,  which  ai^e  appropriated  entirely  for 
militiuy  uses,  being  the  depot  of  provisions  and  ammunition, 
j^lace-d'armes,  and  barracks.  Out  of  this  place,  in  one  of  the 
flanks,  the  second  gate,  having  a  similar  high  building  erected 
OA-er  it  as  tlie  first,  opens  into  the  city. 

The  first  appearance  of  this  celebi-ated  capital  is  not  mudh 
calculated  to  raise  high  expectations ;  nor  does  it  in  the  least 
improAC  upon  a  more  intimate  acquaintance.     In  approaching 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  63 

an  European  city  it  generally  happens  thqj:  a  great  \ariety  of 
objects  catch  the  eye  ;  as  the  towers  and  spires  of  churelics, 
domes,  obelisks,  and  other  buildings  for  public  puq:)oses, 
towering  above  the  rest  ;  and  the  mind  is  amused  in  conjee . 
turing  the  form  and  magnitude  of  their  se^'e^ll  consti-uctions, 
and  the  uses  to  which  they  may  be  applied,  in  Pekin  not 
even  a  chimney  is  seen  rising  above  tlie  roofs  of  the  houses 
whicli,  being  all  neiu  1}-  of  the  same  height,  and  the  sti'eets  laid 
out  in  straight  lines,  lia\'e  the  appeai-ancc  and  the  regularity  of 
a  large  encampment.  The  root's  \\ould  only  require  to  be 
painted  white,  instead  of  being  red,  green,  or  blue,  to  make 
the  resemblance  complete.  Few  houses  exceed  the  height  of 
one  story,  and  none  but  the  great  shops  ha\e  cither  windo\\'s 
or  openings  in  the  wall  in  front,  but  most  of  them  haA  c  a  soit 
of  teiTace,  with  a  railed  balcoriy  or  parapet  wall  in  front,  on 
which  are  placed  pots  of  flov.ers,  or  shrubs,  or  stunted  trees. 

This  city  is  an  oblong  square,  the  outward  boundary  of 
which  is  foil}-  lees,  each  lee  being  six  hundred  yards,  so  that 
the  inclosing  wall  is  near  fourteen  English  miles,  and  the  ai'ca 
about  twelve  square  miles,  independent  of  the  cxtensi^■e  sub- 
urbs at  cxtry  gate.  In  tlie  south  \\ all  aie  tlu^ee  g'ates,  arid  in 
each  of  the  other  sides  two,  from  w  hence  it  is  sometimes 
called  "The  city  with  nine  gates ;"  but  its  usual  name  is  Pc- 
ching,  or  the  Northern  Court.  The  middle  gate,  on  the  south 
side,  opens  into  the  imperial  city,  which  is  a  space  of  ground 
within  the  genenil  inclosure,  in  the  shape  of  a  parallelogTimi, 
about  a  mile  in  length  from  north  to  south,  and  tliree-fourths 
of  a  mile  from  east  to  west.  A  wall,  built  of  large  red  polished 
bricks,  and  twenty  feet  high,  co\'ercd  with  a  roof  of  tiles 
painted  yellow,  and  viuiiished,  suiTounds  this  space,  in  w  hich 
are  contained  not  only  the  imperial  palace  and  gardens,  but 
also  all  the  tribimals,  or  public  offices  of  government,  lodg- 
ings for  the  ministers,  the  eunuchs,  aitificers,  and  trades- 
men belonging  to  the  court.  A  great  vaiiety  of  siuface,  as 
well  as  of  different  objects,  appciU's  within  this  inclosure. 
A  ri\ulet,  winding  through  it,  not  only  affords  a  plentiful  supjjly 
of  water,  but  adds  largely  to  the  beauties  of  the  gioiuids,  b}- 
being  foiTned  into  canals  and  basons,  and  lakes,  which,  w ith 
the  aitificial  mounts,  and  rocks,  and  gi-oves,  exjiibittlie  happiest 
imitiition  of  nature. 

BetAveen  the  other  t\\"o  gates,  in  the  south  w  all,  and  the 
corresponding  and  opposite  ones  on  the  north  side  of  the  city 


64  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

run  tM'o  streets  peRfecth^  straight,  each  being  four  English 
miles  in  length,  and  about  one  hundred  and  t^^•ent}'^  feet  in 
v,idth.  One  street,  also  of  the  same  width,  runs  fiom  one  of 
the  eiistem  to  the  opposite  A\-estern  gate,  but  the  other  is  in- 
teiTupted  by  the  nordi  v  all  of  the  imperial  city,  round  which 
it  is  carried.  The  cross  streets  can  be  considered  only  as  lanes 
branching  from  these  main  streets  at  right  angles :  they  are  very 
narrow  ;  but  the  houses  in  them  aie  generally  of  the  same 
construction  as  those  in  the  great  streets.  The  lai'ge  houses 
ct  the  state  officers  axe  in  these  lanes. 

Although  the  approach  to  Pekin  afforded  little  that  was  inte- 
resting, we  had  no  sooner  passed  the  gate,  and  opened  out  the 
broad  street,  than  a  very  singular  and  novel  appearance  was  ex- 
hibited. We  saw  before  us  a  line  of  buildings  on  each  side  of 
a  wide  street,  consisting  entkely  of  shops  and  warehouses,  the 
i)articular  goods  of  which  were  brought  out  and  displayed,  in 
^Troupes,  in  front  of  the  houses.  Before  these  were  generally 
erected  laige  wooden  pillars,  whose  tops  were  much  higher 
tban  the  eves  of  the  houses,  beaiing  inscriptions  in  gilt  charac- 
ters, setting  forth  the  nature  of  the  wares  to  be  sold,  and  the 
honest  reputation  of  the  seller ;  and,  to  attract  the  more  notice, 
tliey  were  generally  hung  with  vaiious  coloured  flags,  stream^ 
ers,  and  ribbands,  from  top  to  bottom,  exhibiting  the  appear- 
ance of  a  line  of  shipping  dressed,  as  vve  sometimes  see  them, 
in  the  colours  of  all  the  difi'erent  nations  in  Europe.  The 
sides  of  the  houses  v.  ere  not  less  brilliant  in  the  several  colours 
^\■ith  ^\  hich  the}'  wtre  painted,  consisting  generally  of  sky-blue 
cr  gTcen  mixed  with  gold  :  and,  what  appeared  to  us  singular 
enough,  the  articles  for  sale,  that  made  the  greatest  show,  wcyq 
cofiins  for  the  dead.  The  most  splendid  of  our  coffin  furniture 
Vv  ould-make  but  a  poor  figure,  if  placed  beside  that  intended  for 
a  A\  calthy  Chinese.  These  machines  are  seldom  less  than  three 
inches  thick,  and  twice  the  bulk  of  ours.  Next  to  those,  our 
notice  wns  attracted  by  the  brilliant  appearance  of  the  funeral 
biers  and  the  m.arriage  cars,  both  covered  with  ornamental 
canopies. 

At  the  four  points  where  the  great  streets  intersect  one  an- 
other A^  ere  erected  those  singular  iDuildings,  sometimes  of  stone, 
but  generally  of  wood,  which  have  been  allied  triumphjj 
arches,  but  which,  in  fact,  are  monuments  to  the  memory  of 
tlicse  V,  ho  had  deserved  well  of  the  communit)^  or  who  Imd  at» 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  65 

tained  aii  unusual  longevity.     The\'  consist  in-v-ariably  of  a 
large  central  gateway,  Avith  a  smaller  one  on  each  side,  all  co 
vered  with  narrow  roofs ;  and,  like  the  houses,  they  ai-e  paint- 
ed, varnished,  and  gilt  in  the  most  splendid  manner. 

The  multitude  of  moveable  workshops  of  tinkere  and  biu*- 
bers,  coblers  and  blacksmiths;  the  tents  and  booths  where 
tea  and  fruit,  rice  and  other  eatables  A\ere  exposed  for  sale, 
tvith  the  wai'es  and  merchandize  arrayed  before  the  doors,  had 
conti'acted  this  spacious  street  to  a  nan-oA\'  i*oad  in  the  middle, 
just  wide  enough  for  two  of  our  little  ^^ehiclcs  to  pass  each  other. 
The  cavalcade  of  officers  and  soldiers  that  preceded  the  em- 
bassy, the  processions  of  men  in  office  attended  by  their  nu- 
merous retinues,  bearing  umbrellas  and  flags,  j)ainted  lanterns, 
and  a  variet}-  of  sti*ange  insignia  of  their  rank  and  station,  differ- 
ent trains  that  were  accompan}ing,  \rith  lamentable  cries, 
corpses  to  their  graves,  and,  with  squalling  music,  brides  to 
their  husbands,  the  troops  of  dromedaries  laden  ^^'ith  coals 
from  Tai1;aiy,  the  wheel -balTo^vs  and  hand-carts  stuffed  \\  idi 
vegetables,  occupied  neai-ly  the  whole  of  this  middle  space, 
in  one  continued  line,  leaving  v^ry  little  room  for  the  ca- 
valcade of  the  embassy  to  pass.  All  was  in  motion.  The 
sides  of  the  street  were  filled  ^vidi  an  immense  concourse  of 
people,  buying  and  selling  and  biu-tering  dieir  different  com- 
modities. The  buzz  and  confused  noises  of  this  mixed  mul- 
titude, proceeding  from  the  loud  bawling  of  those  A\ho  Avere 
cr}ing  their  A\ares,  the  wiangling  of  others,  \\ ith  eveiy  now 
and  then  a  strange  tw  anging  noise,  like  the  jarring  of  a  cracked 
Jew's-harp,  the  barber's  signal  made  by  his  tweezers,  the  mirth 
and  the  laughter  that  prevailed  in  every  groupe,  could  scarcely 
be  exceeded  bj-  the  brokers  in  die  bank  rotunda,  or  by  the  Jews. 
and  old  \\omen  in  Rosemai'}--Lane.  Pedlars  with  their  packs, 
and  jugglers,  fortune-tellers,  mountebanks  and  quack -doctors, 
comedians  and  musiciiuis,  left  no  space  unoccupied.  The 
Tartar  soldiers,  ^ith  their  whips,  kept,  with  difficulty,  a  clear 
passage  for  the  embassy  to  move  sloAvly  forwiuds ;  so  s1oa\% 
indeed,  that  although  we  entered  the  eastern  gate  at  half-past 
nine,  it  was  near  twehe  before  \vc  arrived  at  the  \\esteni. 

Although  an  extraordinary  crowd  might  be  expected  to  as- 
semble on  such  a  particular  occasion,  on  the  same  principle  of 
curiosity  as  could  not  fail  to  attract  a  cro^^•d  of  spectators  in 
London,  yet  there  was  a  most  remarkable  and  a  striking  dif- 
ference observable  between  a  London  and  a  Pekin  populace. 

J 


66  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

In  the  former  the  whole  attention  and  soul  of  the  multitude 
would  have  been  wrapt  up  in  die  no\'cl  spectacle ;  all  would 
have  been  idlers.  In  Pekin,  the  shew  was  but  an  accessory ; 
every  one  pursued  his  business,  at  the  same  time  that  he  gra- 
tified his  curiosity.  In  fact,  it  appeared  that,  on  every  day, 
throughout  the  m liole  }ear,  there  was  the  same  noise,  bustle, 
and  crowd,  in  die  capital  of  China.  I  scarcely  ever  passed 
the  western  gate,  which  happened  twice,  or  oftener,  in  the 
week,  that  I  liad  not  to  wait  a  considerable  time  before  the 
passage  was  free,  piuticularly  in  the  morning,  notwithstanding 
tlie  exertions  of"  t\\o  or  tiiree  soldiers,  vvith  their  whips,  to 
clear  the  wav.  The  crowd,  however,  was  entirely  confined 
to  the  gi-eat  streets,  which  are  the  only  outlets  of  the  city.  In 
the  cross  lanes  all  Vvas  still  and  quiet. 

Women  in  Pekin  were  commonly  seen  among  the  crowd, 
or  \\alkiiig  in  the  naiTO'W'  streets,  or  riding  on  horseback, 
Mhich  they  crossed  in  the  same  manner  as  the  men ;  but  they 
were  all  Tartars.  They  wore  long  silken  robes,  reacliing 
down  to  their  feet ;  their  shoes  appeared  to  be  as  much  abo^•e 
the  common  size  as  those  of  the  Chinese  are  under  it ;  the 
upper  pait  was  generally  of  embroidered  satin,  the  sole  con- 
sisted of  folds  of  cloth  or  paper,  about  an  inch  thick ;  they 
^\'ere  square  in  front,  and  a  little  turned  up.  The  hair  was 
smoothed  up  on  all  sides,  not  ^'ery  different  fi-om  that  of  the 
Chinese ;  and  though  their  faces  were  painted  with  white-lead 
and  \'ermillion,  it  ^vas  evident  their  skins  were  much  fairer 
than  those  of  the  former.  The  Chinese  women  are  more 
scmpulously  confined  to  the  house  in  the  capital  than  else- 
where. Young  girls  Mere  sometimes  seen  smoking  their 
pipes  in  tlie  doors  of  their  houses,  but  they  always  reth-ed  on 
the  approach  of  men. 

All  die  streets  were  covered  with  sand  and  dust :  none  had 
the  least  pa^•ement.  The  cross  lanes  were  generally  watered, 
which  did  not  appeal"  to  be  the  case  in  the  main  streets.  A 
large  sheet  of  Mater,  several  acres  in  extent,  within  the  nordiem 
M-all,  affords,  to  that  part  of  the  city  and  to  the  palace,  an 
a):)undtait  supply  of  that  element,  as  does  also  a  small  stream 
which  runs  along  the  Avestem  wall  to  that  neighbourhood. 
There  ai-e,  besides,  abundance  of  wells ;  but  the  water  <rf 
some  of  these  is  so  dreadfully  nauseous,  that  we,  who  were 
unaccustomed  to  it,  were  under  the  necessity  of  sending  to  a 
liistajice  to  obtain  such  as  was  firee  fi'om  mineral  or  earthy  im^ 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  67 

pregnations.     Wheii  mixed  with  tea,  tlie  well  ^^•ater  was  par- 
ticularly disgusting. 

Although  Pekin  cannot  boast,  like  ancient  Rome,  or  mo- 
dern London,  of  the  com  eniences  of  common  se^^  ers,  to  cany 
off  the  dirt  and  dregs  that  must  necessaiilv  accumulate  in  large 
cities,  yet  it  enjoys  one  impoitant  ad^  antage,  which  is  rai'ely 
found  in  capitals  out  of  England :  no  kind  of  filtli  or  nastiness, 
creating  offensi\'e  smells,  is  tlirown  out  into  the  streets ;  a  piece 
of  cleanliness,  diat,  perhaps,  ma}'  be  attributed  rather  to  the 
scarcity  and  value  of  the  manure  dian  to  the  exertions  of  the 
police  officers.  Each  family  lias  a  large  earthen  jar,  into 
which  is  carefully  collected  e^'ery  tiling  that  may  be  used  as 
manure ;  m  hen  the  jar  is  full,  diere  is  no  diihcult)-  of  con^Trt- 
ing  its  contents  into  money,  or  of  exchanging  them  for  \egc- 
tables.  The  small  boxed  carts,  with  one  whatl,  a\  hich  supply 
the  city  with  vegetables,  in\iu-iabl}'  return  to  the  gardens  with 
a  load  of  this  liquid  manure.  Between  the  palace  of  Yuen- 
min-yuen  and  Pekin,  I  have  met  many  hundreds  of  tliese  carts. 
They  are  generalh'  dragged  by  one  person,  and  pushed  on  by 
another ;  and  they  leave  upon  the  road  an  odour  that  continues, 
without  intermission,  for  many  miles.  Thus,  though  the  city 
is  cleared  of  its  filth,  it  seldom  loses  its  fragrance.  In  fact,  a 
constant  disgusting  odour  remains  in  and  about  all  tlie  houses 
tlie  whole  day  long,  from  the  fermentation  of  the  heterogeneous 
mixtures  kept  above  gi'ound,  ^vhich,  in  our  great  cities^  arc 
carried  off  in  drains. 

The  medical  gendemen  of  China  are  not  quite  so  ingenious 
as  we  are  told  the  faculty  m  Madrid  were,  about  tlie  middle  of 
the  last  centur}- ;  Avhen  the  inhabitants  were  directed,  by  royal 
proclamation,  to  build  j)roper  pkices  of  retirement  to  their 
houses,  instead  of  empt3-ing  their  nocturnal  machines  out  of 
the  \\indo\\ s  into  the  streets.  The  inhabitants  took  it  into 
tlieu'  heads  to  consider  this  order  as  a  great  affront,  and  a  direct 
violation  of  tlie  rights  of  man ;  but  the  doctors  were  die  most 
strenuous  opposers  of  the  measure,  having,  no  doubt,  very 
cogent  reasons  for  A\'isliing  the  continuance  of  the  practice. 
They  assured  die  inhabitants,  that  if  human  excrement  mtis  no 
longer  to  be  accmnulated  in  the  streets,  to  attract  the  putrescent 
particles  floating  in  the  air,  they  would  find  their  way  into  the 
human  body,  and  a  pestilential  sickness  would  lie  the  inc\  itable 
consequence. 


6a  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

The  police  of  the  capitiil,  as  we  afterwards  found,  is  so  well 
regulated,  that  the  safety  and  tranciuillity  of  die  inhabitiuits  are 
seldom  disturbed.  At  the  end  of  every  cross  street,  and  at 
certiiin  distances  in  it,  are  a  kind  of  cross  bars,  with  sentry- 
boxes,  at  each  of  which  is  placed  a  soldier ;  and  few  of  these 
streets  aie  without  a  guard-house.  Besides,  the  proprietor  or 
iiiliabitant  of  e\'ery^  tenth  houic,  like  the  ancient  titliing-men  of 
England,  takes  it  in  turn  to  keep  the  peace,  and  be  responsible 
for  the  good  conduct  of  his  nine  neighbours.  If  any  riotous 
company  should  assemble,  oi- any  disturbances  happen,  \\ithin 
his  district,  he  is  to  give  immediate  information  diereof  to  the 
nearest  guard-house.  The  soldiers  also  go  theu'  rounds,  and 
instead  of  crying  the  hour,  like  our  watchmen,  strike  upon  a 
short  tube  of  bamboo,  which  gives  a  dull  hollow  sound,  that 
for  several  nights  prevented  us  from  sleeping  until  w^e  were  ac- 
customed to  it. 

It  took  us  full  two  hours,  as  I  before  observed,  in  passing 
from  the  eastern  to  the  \\  estern  gate  of  Pekm.  The  clouds  of 
dust,  raised  by  the  populace,  m  ere  here  much  denser  than  on 
the  road ;  and  the  smodiering  heat  of  the  day,  the  diermometer 
in  our  little  carts  standing  at  96°,  was  almost  insuppoitable. 
Except  the  great  crowd,  on  every  side,  we  saw  little  to  engage 
the  attention,  after  the  first  five  minutes.  Indeed,  a  single  walk 
through  one  of  the  broad  streets  is  quite  sufficient  to  give  a 
stranger  a^competent  idea  of  the  whole  city.  He  will  imme- 
diately perceive  that e\ery  street  is  laid  out  in  the  same  manner, 
and  every  house  built  upon  the  same  plan ;  and  that  their  archi- 
tecture is  void  of  taste,  grandeur,  beauty,  solidity,  or  conve- 
nience ;  that  the  houses  are  merely  tents,  and  that  there  is  no- 
thing nuignificent,  even  in  the  palace  of  the  emperor : — but 
we  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  on  this  subject  hereafter.  Ask 
a  Chinese,  ho"v\"ever,  what  is  to  be,  seen  that  is  curious  or  great 
in  the  capital,  and  he  v\dil  immediately  enter  upon  a  long 
histor}^  of  the  beauties  of  the  palace  belonging  to  Ta- whang-tee, 
the  mighty  emperor.  According  to  his  notions,  every  thing 
W'ithin  the  palace  avails  is  gold  and  silver.  He  will  tell  you  of 
gold  and  silver  pillars,  gold  and  silver  roofs,  gold  and  silver 
vases,  in  which  are  swimming  gold  and  silver  fishes.  All,  how- 
ever,  is  not  gold  tliat  glitters  in  China,  more  than  elsewhere. 
The  emperor,  as  I  shall  hereafter  have  occasion  to  notice,  has 
very  little  surplus  revenue  at  his  disposed,  and  is  frequently  dis- 
tressed for  money  to  pay  his  army  and  otlier  exigencies  of  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  69 

state.  And,  though  China  has  of  late  yeai's  dra\m  from  Eu- 
rope a  considerable  quantity  of  specie,  }et,  m hen  this  is  scat- 
tered over  so  vast  an  extent  of  country,  and  di\ided  amons^  so 
many  millions  of  people,  it  becomes  almost  as  a  chop  thro^\^l 
into  the  sea.  Most  of  the  money,  besides,  that  enters  China, 
is  melted  down,  and  converted  into  articles  of  liixmy  or  con- 
venience. Fe^\'  nations  are  better  acquainted  with  the  \'alue  of 
these  precious  metals  than  the  Chinese  ;  and  few,  if  any,  can 
surpass  their  ingenuity  in  drawing  out  the  one  into  thin  leaves, 
and  the  other  into  the  finest  wire. 

We  were  not  a  little  overjoyed  in  finding  ourselves  once 
more  upon  the  flagged  causeway,  and  in  an  open  countr}-,  after 
passing  a  small  suburb  beyond  the  western  gate  of  tlie  cit}-. 
They  brought  us  to  a  villa,  which  was  a  kind  of  appendage  to 
one  of  tlie  emperor's  palaces,  about  eight  miles  beyond  Pekin. 
The  buildings,  consisting  of  a  number  of  small  detached  apwt- 
ments,  straggling  over  a  surface  of  gi'ound,  about  fifteen  acres 
in  extent,  were  neither  sufficiently  numerous  to  lodge  the  suite, 
nor  to  contain  the  presents  and  our  baggage  ;  and  were,  moreo- 
ver, so  miserably  out  of  repair,  and  in  so  ruinous  a  condition, 
that  the  gi-eaterpart  was  wholly  uninhabitable.  The  officers  were, 
accordingly,  told  that  these  were  not  accommodations  suit- 
able to  the  dignit}^  of  a  British  embassador,  and  that  he  Mould 
not,  on  any  conside]"ation,  put  up  with  them  ;  that  it  was  a 
matter  of  indiflerence  A\hether  he  was  lodged  m  the  city  or  the 
country,  but  that  the  lodgings  should  be  con^^enient  and  proper. 

The  superintending  officers,  upon  this,  caused  a  lai'ge  teni- 
poi'ary  building  to  be  erected  \\ith  poles  and  mats,  which,  as  by 
magic,  was  finished  in  the  course  of  the  night,  hoping,  by  this 
exertion,  to  ha\e  removed  all  objections  to  the  place.  His 
lordship,  however,  being  determined  not  to  remain  -svherc  thci'e 
was  neither  a  decent  room,  nor  any  kind  of  comfort  or  conveni- 
ence, every  building  being  entirely  unfurnished,  and,  as  I  said 
before,  the  gi^eater  number  untenantable,  insisted  upon  being 
removed  to  Pekin,  where,  accordingly,  it  M'as  veiy  soon  an- 
nounced there  Avas  a  suitable  house  ready  for  his  reception. 

On  retiu'ning  to  the  capital  we  passed  tlirough  the  great  street 
of  a  town  called  Hai-ticn,  in  which  m.ost  of  the  houses  were  of 
two  stories,  and  before  the  upper  of  which  was  a  kind  of  ve- 
randa, full  of  dwarf  trees  and  fiower-pots.  A  great  proportion 
of  the  houses  were  either  butchers'  shops  or  coffin-makers. 
From  the  end  of  tliis  street  was  a  most  extensive  view  of  Pekin 


70  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

and  the  sun'ouiiding  country.  The  eye,  from  hence,  took  in 
the  whole  length  of  the  high  straight  A\'all,  with  its  two  lofiy 
gates  and  numerous  square  towers.  At  each  angle  of  the  w^all 
is  a  lai'ge  squai^e  building,  rising  above  the  jxirapet  to  four 
heights  or  stories  of  port-holes,  and  covered  \vith  t^vo  roofs.  In 
each  roA\"  of  tlie  four  fronts  are  fourteen  \A'indow^s  or  port-holes. 
These  I  understood  to  be  the  rice  magazines,  or  public  grana- 
ries. Near  the  north-west  angle  is  a  tall  pagoda,  another  high 
toAver  not  unlike  a  glass-house,  and  towards  the  higher  western 
g-ate  appeai'ed  the  upper  part  of  a  pyramidal  building  that  ter- 
minated in  a  gilded  flame,  very  like  the  summit  of  our  monu- 
ment, under  \\hich,  instead  of  a  galleiy,  was  a  most  magnificent 
canopy  or  umbrella,  painted  and  gilt  witli  such  brilliant 
colours,  that,  from  certain  points  of  view,  when  the  rays  of  the 
Sim  played  upon  it,  the  glittering  appeai'ance  had  a  veiy  good 
effect.  It  was  said  to  be  a  temple,and  seemed  to  be  of  the  same 
kind  of  architecture  as  the  Shoo-ma-doo  described  by  Col. 
Symes  in  liis  embassy  to  Ava. 

We  found  our  new  lodging  sufficiently  large,  but  the  apart- 
ments were  shamefully  dirty,  having  been  uninhabited  for  some 
time;  very  much  out  of  repair,  and  totally  unfurnished.  This 
house,  being  considered  as  one  of  the  best  in  the  w  hole  city,  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  take  notice  of  hereafter,  in  speaking  of 
the  state  of  their  architecture.  It  w-as  built  by  the  late  Ho-poo, 
or  collector  of  the  customs  at  Canton,  from  which  situation  he 
was  preferred  to  the  collectorship  of  salt  duties  at  Tien-sing  ; 
where,  it  seems,  he  was  detected  in  embezzling  the  public 
re\-enues,  tlii'own  into  jail,  and  his  immense  property  confis- 
cated to  the  crown.  The  officers  appointed  to  attend  the  em- 
bassy told  us,  that  when  it  wras  proposed  to  the  emperor  for  the 
English  embassador  to  occupy  tliis  house,  he  immediately  re- 
plied, ' '  Most  certainly,  you  cannot  refuse  the  temporary  occu- 
"  pation  of  a  house  to  the  embassador  of  that  nation  which 
*'  contributed  so  very  amply  tow^ards  the  expence  of  building' 
"  it. "  The  inference  to  be  drawn  from  such  a  remark  is,  that 
tlie  court  of  Pekin  is  a\  ell  awai'e  of  the  extortions  committed 
against  foreigners  at  Canton. 

The  emperor  being  at  this  time  in  Tartan',  w  here  he  meant 
to  celebrate  tlie  festival  of  the  anniversaiy  of  his  birth-day,  had 
given  orders  that  the  public  introduction  of  the  British  embas- 
sador should  be  fixed  for  that  day,  and  sliould  lake  place  at 
Gehol,  a  small  town,  136  miles  fromlr*ekin,  where  liehad  alargc 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  71 

jxilace,  park,  gardens,  and  a  magnificent  Poo-tala  or  temple 
of  Budha.  Accordingiy,  a  selection  was  made  of  such  pre- 
sents as  were  the  most  portable,  to  be  sent  fon^"ards  into  Tai-- 
tar}' ;  aixl  the  embassador,  ^^  ith  pait  of  his  suite,  se\  cral  officers 
of  tlie  court,  and  their  retinue,  set  out  fi'oni  Pekin  on  tlic  se- 
cond of  September.  Some  of  the  gentlemen,  wkh  part  of  the 
guard  and  of  the  servants,  remained  in  Pokin,  and  Dr.  Din- 
widdie  and  m}'self,  ^\■ith  t^\■o  mechanics,  had  apartments  allotted 
tons  in  the  palace  of  Yucn-min-yuen,  ^vhere  the  largest  and 
most  ^■aluabIe  of  the  presents  were  to  be  fitted  up  lor  die  in- 
spection of  the  old  emperor  on  his  return  from  Tiutary. 

Having  iilready  acquired  some  little  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guage, on  the  passage  from  England,  by  the  assistance  of  two 
Chinese  priests,  who  had  been  sent  by  their  superiors  to  Naples, 
for  the  purpose  of  being  instructed  in  the  Christian  religion,  I 
hoped  to  find  this  tcmporar\-  banislynent  less  irksome,  paiticu- 
larly  as  I  had  previously  stipulated  with  the  officers  belonging 
to  that  palace  for  an  unconditional  lea^•e  to  \  i.^it  the  capitid 
\vhene\er  I  should  find  it  necessai-}'  or  proper,  during  the  ab- 
sence of  tlie  embassador ;  and,  it  is  but  fair  to  say,  thev  kept 
faith  to  their  engagement  in  the  strictest  sense.  A  horse  and 
one  of  the  little  covered  carts  were  ah\  ays  at  my  disposal. 

The  gentlemen  left  in  the  city  were  less  agreeably  situated. 
At  the  outer  gate  of  their  lodgings  a  guard  \\  as  stationed,  with 
orders  to  allow  none  of  them  to  pass ;  and  all  their  proceedings 
and  mo\'ements  were  closel}'  matched.  Sometixnes  the\'  ^\ ere 
a  little  rclie^■ed  by  occasional  \'isits  from  the  European  mission- 
aries ;  but  so  suspicious  were  the  officers  of  the  government  of 
any  communication  ^\  ith  these  gentlemen,  that  they  AAcre  mxn- 
riably  accompanied  by  some  of  them  to  act  as  spies,  notwith- 
standing they  could  not  comprehend  one  single  ^\■ord  that  ^vas 
exchanged  in  the  con^•ersations  they  held  together.  A  Chinese 
has  no  knowledge  whatsocAcr  of  any  of  the  European  lan- 
guages. But  he  watches  the  actions,  and  even  the  motions  of 
the  eye,  and  makes  his  report  accordingly.  The  courts  of 
the  house  were  constantly  filled  with  the  inferior  officers  of 
go^•e^lment  and  their  servants,  all  of  ^vhom  had  some  post  or 
other  assigned  to  them,  connected  ^\  ith  the  British  embassy. 
One  was  the  superintendant  of  the  kitchen,  another  furnished 
tea,  one  was  appointed  to  supply  us  ^\ith  fi'uit,  another  with 
A  egetables,  and  another  w  ith  milk. 


72  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

During  the  time  I  should  be  required  to  reside  in  Yuen- 
min-}'uen,  I  particularly  m  ished  to  have  none  other  than  Chi- 
nese servants,  that  I  might  be  under  the  necessity  of  extend- 
ing the  little  knov.^ledge  I  had  already  acquired  of  the  spoken 
language.  This  is  by  no  means  difficult  to  leam,  except  in 
the  nice  intonations  or  inflections  of  A'oice ;  but  the  written 
character  is,  perhaps,  of  all  others,  the  most  abstruse  and 
most  perplexing,  both  to  the  eye  and  to  the  memor}-.  The 
length  of  time  that  is  usually  required  by  the  Chinese,  toge- 
ther with  the  intense  study  and  stretch  of  the  memory,  which 
they  find  necessan^,  in  order  to  obtain  a  very  small  proportion 
of  the  characters  that  form  the  language,  ai^e  serious  obstruc- 
tions to  the  progress  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  but  favourable 
to  the  stability  of  the  government  of  which,  indeed,  the  lan- 
guage Tt\3.y  be  considered  as  one  of  the  gi'eat  bulwarks.  But 
the  observations  I  have  to  make  on  this  subject  will  more  pro- 
perly be  resei'ved  for  a  separate  chapter. 

On  aiTiving  at  Yuen-min-yuen  I  found  a  number  of  Chinese 
workmen  busily  employed  in  breaking  open  the  packages, 
some  in  one  place  and  some  in  another,  to  the  no  little  danger 
of  the  globes,  clocks,  glass  lustres,  and  such  like  frangible 
articles,  many  of  which  must  inevitably  have  suffered  under 
less  careful  and  dexterous  hands  than  those  of  the  Chinese. 
As  it  was  intended  they  should  be  placed  in  one  large  room, 
the  great  hall  in  \\^hich  the  emperor  gi\'es  audience  to  his  minis- 
ters, the  first  operation  was  to  move  them  all  thither,  and  cai'e- 
fuliy  to  unpack  them ;  and  we  had  the  satisfliction  to  find  that 
not  a  single  article  was  either  missing  or  injured. 

We  had  not  been  long  here,  before  a  gentleman  appeared, 
vvho,  not^vithstanding  his  Chinese  dress,  I  soon  perceived  to 
be  an  European.  He  introduced  himself  by  saying,  in  the 
Latin  language,  that  his  name  was  Deodato,  a  Neapolitan  mis- 
sionary, and  that  the  court  had  appointed  him  to  act  as  inter- 
preter ;  hoped  he  might  be  useful  to  us,  and  offered  his  ser- 
vices in  the  most  handsome  manner ;  and,  I  have  great  pleasure 
in  availing  myself  of  this  opportunity  to  acknowledge  the  friend- 
ly and  unremitting  attention  I  received  from  him  during  a  resi^ 
dence  of  five  v/eeks  in  this  palace,  and  the  very  material  as- 
hibtancc  j-^e  afforded,  in  explaining  the  nature,  value,  and  use 
of  the  several  pieces  of  machinery  to  those  Chinese  who  were 
appointed  to  superintend  them.     Signor  Deodato  v\^as  an  ex- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  73 

cellent  mechanic ;  aiid  in  tliis  capacit}-  was  enip!o}-ed  in  the 
palace,  to  inspect  and  keep  in  order  die  numberless  pieces  of 
clock-^iork  that  had  found  their  A\ay  diither,  cliiefly  from 
London. 

The  officer  appointed  to  attend  us  wore  a  light  blue  button 
in  his  cap,  denoting  die  4l1i  degree  of  rank.  ^V'hen  he  shewed 
the  apartments  that  \\ere  designed  for  us,  I  could  not  forbear 
observing  to  him,  that  they  seemed  litter  for  hogs  than  for  hu- 
man creatures,  and  that  rather  than  be  oi^liged  to  occupy  those, 
or  any  other  hke  them,  I  should,  for  my  own  part,  prefer  com- 
ing down  from  the  capital  eveiy  morning,  and  return  in  the 
evening.  They  consisted  of  three  or  lour  hovels  in  a  small 
court,  surrounded  with  a  wall,  as  high  as  their  roofs.  Each 
room  was  about  tW'clve  feet  square,  the  \\alls  comiDletely  na- 
ked, the  ceiling  broken  in,  die  rushes  or  stems  of  holcus,  tliat 
held  the  plaister,  hanging  down  and  strewed  on  the  lioor ;  die 
lattice  work  of  the  windows  partially  covered  with  broken  pa- 
per ;  the  doors  consisting  of  old  bamboo  skreens ;  the  floor 
covered  with  dust ;  and  there  ^^•as  not  the  least  furniture  in  any 
of  them,  except  an  old  table  and  two  or  three  chairs  in  the  one 
which  was  intended,  I  suppose,  for  the  dining-room.  The 
rest  had  nothing  in  them  whatsoever,  but  a  liuie  raised  plat- 
form of  brick- work,  ^^'hich  they  told  us  was  to  sleep  on,  and 
that  they  should  coA^er  it  with  mats,  and  order  proper  beddino- 
to  be  brought  upon  it.  Yet  these  miserable  hovels  Vvcre  not 
only  within  the  palace  wdW,  but  scaixely  two  hundred  }^ards 
from  the  great  hall  of  audience.  The  oflicer  assured  us  that 
they  were  the  apartments  of  one  of  their  Ta-gin  (great  men) ; 
but  that,  as  I  did  not  seem  to  like  them,  we  should  be  accom- 
modated with  others.  Wt  \*.  ere  then  canied  a  little  fai'ther, 
where  there  was  a  number  of  buildings  upon  a  more  extensi\^e 
scale,  enclosed  also  by  high  walls.  The  apartments  M^re 
somewhat  larger,  but  miserably  dirty,  both  within  and  ^^ith- 
out,  and  wholly  unfurnished ;  but  as  oiu*  attendant  took  care 
to  tell  us  they  belonged  to  one  of  the  ministers  of  state,  and 
that  he  lodged  in  them  when  the  emperor  \\as  at  Yuen-min- 
yuen,  we  were  precluded  from  further  complaint.  Had  we 
refused  diose  that  w&c  considered  sufficient  for  a  minister  of 
state,  the  man  might  have  thought  that  nothing  less  than  tlie 
emperor's  own  would  have  satisfied  us.  If  the  menial  servants 
of  his  Britannic  majest}^'s  ministers  were  no  better  lodged  than 
the  ministers  themselves  of  his  Cliinese  majest}^,  they  would 

K 


74,  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

be  r^pt  to  think  thcmsehcs  Acry  ill  used.  We  accepted  them, 
ho\vever,  such  as  they  were,  and  caused  them  to  be  swept  out, 
an  operation  which  had  not  been  performed  for  many  months 
before  ;  a  table  and  chairs  were  brought  in,  witli  mats,  pillows, 
and  silken  m.attrcsses ;  but  for  these  we  had  no  occasion,  hav- 
ing l()rtiniatcly  brought  with  us,  from  the  ships,  our  own  cots. 
I'o  make  amends  for  our  uncomfortable  lodgings,  we  sat 
down  to  a  most  excellent  dinner,  ^vholly  prepai'ed  in  the  Chi- 
nese style,  consisting  of  a  vast  variety  of  made  dishes,  very 
neatly  diessed,  and  served  in  porcelain  bowls.  The  l^est  soup 
I  ever  tasted,  in  any  pail  of  die  Avorld,  ^vas  made  here  from  an 
extract  of  beef  seasoned  vvith  a  preparation  of  so}'  and  other  in-  . 
gTcdients.  Their  vermicelli  is  excellent,  and  all  their  pastry  is 
unusually  iiglit,  and  Vvhite  as  snov/.  We  understood  it  to  be 
made  from  the  buck-wheat.  The  luxury  of  ice,  in  the  neigh- 
l^ourhood  of  the  capital,  is  within  the  reach  of  the  poorest  pea- 
scuTit ;  and,  although  they  drink  their  tea  and  other  beverage 
■warm,  they  prefer  all  kinds  of  fruit  when  cooled  on  ice. 

The  three  first  days,  ^vhile  the  articles  were  unpacking  and 
assorting,  we  remained  tolerably  quiet,  being  annoyed  only 
^vith  tl)e  interference  and  inquisitiveness  of  an  old  eunuch,  ^\ho 
had  in  his  ti^ain  about  a  dozen  of  the  same  kind,  simile  aut  se- 
cundum. But  no  sooner  were  they  taken  out  of  their  cases, 
and  set  up  in  tlie  room,  than  visitors  of  all  ranks,  from  princes 
of  the  blood  to  plain  citizens,  came  dail}-  to  look  at  the  pre- 
sents, but  more  particularly  at  us,  Mhom  I  believe  tlicy  consi- 
dered by  much  the  greatest  curiosities.  AH  the  men  of  letters 
and  n\nk,  who  held  empio3'ments  in  the  state,  and  "whose  at- 
tendance had  been  dispensed  Vvith  at  Gehol,  fiocked  to  Yuen- 
jnin-yuen. 

Am^ong  tlie  numerous  \4sItors  came  one  day,  in  great  state,  the 
president  of  a  boaid  in  Pekin,  on  which  the  Jesuits  have  confer- 
red die  pompous,  but  unmerited,  title  of  the  Tribunal  of  Ma- 
thematics. He  -VA'as  accompanied  by  a  Portuguese  mission- 
aiy,  of  the  name  of  Go^ea,  \\  ho  is  the  titular  bishop  of  Pe- 
kin, Padre  Antonio  and  his  secretary,  both  Portuguese,  and 
all  three  members  of  the  said  tribunal.  The  particular  object 
of  tlieir  visit  wiis  to  make  tliemselves  fully  accjuainted  with  the 
nature  and  use  of  the  several  presents  that  related  to  science, 
and  especially  of  the  large  plarietarium,  which  had  already  made 
a:  great  noise  in  China,  in  order  that  they  might  be  able  to  give 
a pioper  description  and  explanation  to  his  imperial  majesty, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  75 

both  of  this  instRiment,  and  of  till  the  others  connected  A\ith 
their  department,  and  to  answer  an)'  question  concerning  them, 
that  might  be  asked. 

It  created  no  sort  of  surprise  to  any  of  us,  on  fniding  that  the 
Chinese,  wlio  accompanied  tliese  rc\'erend  gentlemen,  were 
completely  ignorant  of  the  nature  of  a  complicate  machine, 
whose  motions,  regulated  by  the  most  ingenious  mechanism 
that  had  ever  been  constructed  in  Europe,  rej^rescnted  all  those, 
even  of  the  most  irregular  and  eccentiic,  of  the  heavenly  bodies ; 
nor  in  percei\ing  that  they  seemed  to  be  rather  disappointed  in 
the  appearance  and  operations  of  tliis  instiTunent.  It  was  ob- 
vious, from  the  few  questions  put  by  the  president  of  this  learn- 
ed bod}  ,  that  he  had  conceived  the  planetarium  to  be  something 
siniilai"  to  one  of  those  curious  pieces  of  musical  mechanism 
W'hich,  in  the  Canton  jargon,  are  called  Sing-songs ;  and  that 
nothing  more  was  necessiuy  than  to  >vind  it  up,  like  a  jack, 
when  it  would  immediately  spin  round,  and  tell  himeven^  tiling 
that  he  wanted  to  know. 

But  the  difficulty  of  making  the  right  reverend  bishop  and 
his  colleagues  comprehend  the  principles  upon  w  Inch  it  Avas 
constructed,  and  the  se-\^eral  phenomena  of  tlic  hea>enly  bodies 
exhibited  by  it,  con\eyed  almost  as  bad  an  opinion  of  their 
astronomiciil  and  m.athematical  knowiedg-e  as  of  that  of  theii- 
president.  Their  prelate,  ho\ve\'er,  appeared  to  be  a  man  of 
mild  and  placid  temper,  pleasing  manners,  and  of  a  modest 
and  unassuming  deportment.  His  secretar}'  was  a  keen  shaip 
fellow,  exti'cmely  inquisitive,  and  resolved  not  to  lose  tlie  little 
knowledge  he  miglit  acquire ;  for  he  WTOte  down  the  answer 
to  e^"ery  question  that  was  proposed. 

The  follow  ing  da}-  the  bishop  came,  unattended  by  the  Chi- 
nese part  of  their  boiu'd,  and  gave  us  some  accoimt  of  the  na- 
ture of  their  employ.  The  astronomical  part  of  the  national 
almanack,  such  as  calculating  eclipses,  the  times  of  the  r.ew- 
and  full  moon,  the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun,  were,  as  he 
informed  us,  entrusted  to  him  and  his  colleagues ;  but  the 
astrological  part  was  managed  by  a  committee  of  the  Chinese 
members.  He  candidly  avox^ed  that  neither  he  nor  any  of 
his  Ein'opean  brethren  were  well  qualiiied  for  the  t'isk,  and 
that  they  had  been  hitherto  more  indebted  to  the  Connois- 
sances  des  Tems,  of  Paris,  than  to  their  own  calculations.  That 
having  exactly  ascertained  the  difference  of  meridians  between 
Pckin  and  Paris,  they  had  little  diflicult)'  in  reducing  the  r^^l- 


76  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

culations  miule  for  the  latter,  so  as  to  answer  for  the  situation 
of  the  former,  at  least  to  a  degree  of  accuracy  tliat  \\aij  sitlici- 
cntl}'  near  the  truth  not  to  be  detected  by  any  of  tlic  Cliinese 
members. 

The  French  revolution,  having  put  an  end  to  future  com- 
munications M"ith  that  country,  was  to  them  a  severe  blow  in 
tliis  respect,  though  the  secretaiy  thought  he  could  now  ma- 
nage the  ailculation  of  an  eclipse  sufficiently  correct  to  pass 
current  with  the  Chinese.  Fortunately,  lio^Aeve'r,  Doctor 
Diiiw  iddie  had  provided  himself  on  leaving  London  with  a  set 
of  the  nautical  almanacks,  calculated  for  tlie  meridian  of  Green- 
^vich,  up  to  the  year  ISOO,  ^vhich  they  considered  as  an  inva- 
luable present. 

The  grandsons  of  the  emperor  were  almost  daily  visitors. 
It  seems  tlicre  is  a  kind  of  college  in  the  palace  for  their  edu- 
cation. Though  }'oung  men,  from  the  age  of  sixteen  to  five- 
and-twenty,  the  old  eunuch  used  frequently  to  push  them  by 
the  shoulders  out  of  the  hail  of  audience ;  and,  on  expressing 
my  sm'prise  to  Deodato  at  such  insolence,  he  inibrmed  me  diat 
he  Mas  their  aya,  their  governor ! 

We  had  also  a  great  number  of  Tartar  generals  and  military 
officers,  who  had  heard  of  sword-blades  that  would,  cut  iron- 
bars  without  injuring  tlie  edge;  and  so  great  was  their 
astonishment  on  proving  tlie  fact,  that  they  could  scarcely 
credit  the  evidence  of  their  own  eyes.  We  could  not  confer  a 
more  acceptable  present  on  a  militaiy  officer  than  one  of  Gill's 
sword-blades ;  and  from  the  eager  applications  made  for  them, 
as  we  passed  through  the  country,  the  introduction  of  them, 
through  Canton,  in  the  regulai'  course  of  trade,  v.ould,  I  should 
suppose,  be  no  difficult  task. 

But  the  tA\'o  elegant  caniages  made  by  Hatchett  puzzled  the 
Chinese  more  than  any  of  the  other  presents.  Nothing  of  the 
kind  had  ever  been  seen  at  the  capital ;  and  the  disputes  among 
themselves,  as  to  the  pait  which  v.as  intended  for  die  seat  of  the 
emperor,  were  whimsiccd  enough.  The  hammer-cloth,  that 
covered  the  box  of  the  winter  carnage,  had  a  smart  edging, 
and  was  ornamented  ^\'ith  festoons  of  roses.  Its  splendid  ap- 
pearance and  elevated  situation  determined  it  at  once,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  majority,  to  be  the  emperor's  seat ;  but  a  diffi- 
culty arose  ho"\v  to  appropriate  the  inside  of  the  caniage. 
They  examined  the  windows,  the  blinds,  and  the  skreens,  iind 
at  last  concluded,  tliat  it  could  be  for  nobody  but  his  ladies. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINx\.  77 

The  old  eunuch  came  to  me  for  information ;  and  whew  he 
learned  that  the  hnc  elevated  box  \\  as  to  be  tlie  sait  of  his  man, 
who  m.anaged  the  horses,  and  that  the  emperor's  place  Avas 
within,  he  asked  me,  with  a  sneer,  if  I  supposed  the  Ta- 
A\hang-tee  vvould  sulier  any  man  to  sit  higher  than  himself,  and 
to  turn  his  back  towards  him '?  And  he  wished  to  know  if  we 
could  not  contrive  to  have  the  coach- box  removed  and  placed 
somewhere  behind  d\C  body  of  tlie  coi-riage. 

A  remai'kable  circumstance,  not  easily  to  be  accounted  for, 
occurred  in  opening  a  case  of  Birmingham  hiud'.\ ai-e.  Every 
one  knows  the  necessity  of  excluding  the  sea-air,  as  much  as 
possible,  from  highl}-  polished  aiticlcs  of  iron  imCi  steel ;  and, 
accordingly,  all  such  laticles,  intended  to  be  sent  abroad,  are 
packed  with  die  greatest  care.  The  casks,  or  cases,  are  made 
as  tight  as  possible,  and  covered  widi  pitched  crjivas.  Such 
was  the  cask  in  question.  Yet,  \vhen  the  head  \\as  taken  oti, 
and  a  fe^v  of  the  packages  removed,  an  enormously  large  scor- 
pion was  found  in  the  midst  of  tlie  cask,  nearly  inatorbid 
state ;  but  it  cjuickly  recovered  on  exposure  to  the  warai  aii*. 

"  The  thing-,  we  know,  is  neither  rich  nor  rare  ; 
"  But  wonder  how  the  devil  it  got  there  !" 

Among  die  presents  cai'ried  into  Tartar}^  \\-as  a  collection  of 
prints,  chiefly  porti'aits  of  English  nobility  and  distinguished 
persons ;  and  to  make  die  present  more  acceptable,  they  were 
bound  up  in  three  \  olumes  in  yello\v  morocco.  The  emperor 
^\"as  so  pleased  with  this  collection,  that  he  sent  it  express  to 
Yuen-min-yuen  to  have  the  name,  rank,  and  ofHce,  of  each 
portrait,  translated  into  the  Mimtchoo  and  Chinese  languag-es. 
The  Tartar  writer  got  on  pretty  \\ell ;  but  the  Chinese  se- 
cretar}'  was  not  a  little  puzzled  with  the  B,  the  D,  and  die  R, 
that  so  frequently  recurred  in  the  English  names.  The  Duke 
of  Marlborough  was  Too-ke  Ma-ul-po-loo,  and  Bedford  was 
transformed  to  Pe-te-fo-ul-te.  But  here  a  more  serious  diffi- 
culty occurred  than  that  of  WTiting  the  name.  The  nink  was 
also  to  be  written  down ;  and  on  coming  to  the  portrait  of  this 
nobleman,  (which  was  a  proof- impression  of  the  print,  en- 
graved from  a  picture  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  when  the  late 
Duke  of  Bedford  was  a  youth)  I  told  the  Chinese  to  write  him 
down  a  Ta-gin,  or  great  man  of  the  second  order.  He  in- 
stantly obser\ed  that  I  surely  meant  his  father  w^as  a  Ta-gin« 
I  then  explained  to  liim  that,  according  to  our  laws,  the  son 


78  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

succeeded  to  the  rank  of  the  father,  and  that  \^ith  us  it  \\'as  by 
no  means  necessLuy,  in  order  to  obtain  the  first  rank  in  the 
country,  that  a  man  should  be  of  a  certiiin  age,  be  possessed 
of  su}X'rior  talents,  or  suitable  Cjualificaticns  ;  that  these  M'ere 
sometimes  conduciAe  to  hii^h  honours,  yet,  that  a  great  part  of 
the  legislati\-e  bod\'  of  the  nution  -were  entitled  to  tlieir  rank  and 
situation  by  birth.  They  laughed  heartily  at  the  idea  of  a  man 
being  born  a  legislator,  when  it  required  so  many  yeai's  of  close 
application  to  enable  one  of  their  countrymen  to  pass  liis  exami- 
nation for  the  very  lowest  order  of  state-officers.  As,  however, 
the  descendants  of  Confucius  continue  to  enjoy  a  sort  of  nominal 
rank,  and  as  their  emperor  can  also  confer  an  hereditary-  dignit}', 
without  entitling  to  office,  emolument,  or  exclusive  privilege, 
they  considered  his  grace  might  be  one  of  tliis  description, 
and  vrrote  do^Mi  his  rank  accordingly  ;  but  they  positively  re- 
fused to  give  him  the  title  of  Ta-gin,  or  great  man ;  asking 
me,  if  I  tliought  their  emperor  vras  so  stupid  as  not  to  know 
the  impossibility  of  a  little  bo}^  haA-ing  attiuned  the  rank  of  a 
gi'cat  man. 

About  the  14th  of  September,  or  three  days  before  the  em- 
peror's birth-day,  Padre  Anselmo,  the  procurator  for  the  mis- 
sion De  Propagande  Fide,  delivered  me  letters  from  Macao  for 
the  embassador,  which  the  Ciiinese  refused  to  send  to  Gehol, 
though  daily  expresses  \\'ent  to  and  from  tliat  place.  Anselmo 
hinted  to  me  that  the  late  \iceroy  of  Canton,  who  w^s  no  friend 
to  the  English,  had  arrived ;  and  that  he  feared  all  Avas  not 
riglit.  That  the  Taitar  legate  had  been  degraded  from  his  rank 
for  deceiving  the  emperor,  and  particularly  for  not  paying  his 
personal  respects  to  the  embassiidor  on  board  his  ship  -vvhen  in 
Tien-sing  roads.  That  the  peacock's  feather,  \vhich  he  wore 
in  his  cap,  as  a  mark  of  his  master's  favour,  vvas  exchanged  for 
a  crov\''s  tail,  the  sign  of  great  disgrace,  and  that  the  considera- 
tion of  his  age  and  family  had  alone  saved  him  from  banish- 
ment. The  emperor,  it  seems,  having  heaixl  that  the  embas- 
sador had  his  picture  in  his  cabin,  on  board  the  Lion,  asked 
the  legate  whether  it  was  like  him ;  upon  which  it  came  out 
diat  he  had  never  been  near  the  Lion,  as  his  orders  directed 
him. 

On  the  17th,  being  the  emperor's  birth-day,  all  the  princes 
and  officers  about  the  piilace  assembled,  in  their  robes  of  cere- 
mony, to  make  their  obeisance  to  the  throrie  in  the  great 
hall  of  audience.     On  tliis  occasion,  were  placed  on  the  floor, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  79 

before  the  throne,  on  three  small  tripocls,  a  cup  of  tea,  of  oil, 
and  of  rice,  perhaps  as  an  ackno\\  lodgment  of  the  emperor  l)c- 
ing  the  proprietary^  of  the  soil,  of  whicli  these  ai-e  three  material 
products.  The  old  eunuch  told  me  that  I  mij^ht  remain  iu 
the  hall  during  the  ceremony,  if  I  would  consent  to  perform  it 
with  them,  ai^d  oflered  to  instruct  me  in  it.  He  said  that  iill 
the  officers  of  government,  in  e^•ery  part  of  the  empire,  made 
their  prostrations  to  tlie  name  of  the  emperor,  inscrilicd  on  yel- 
low silk,  on  that  day. 

Two  da3's  after  this,  on  going  as  Usual  in  the  morning  to 
the  hall  of  audience,  I  found  the  doors  shut,  and  the  old  eunuch, 
Vvho  kept  the  keys,  walking  about,  in  so  sullen  a  mood,  that 
I  could  not  get  from  him  a  single  word.  Difterent  groupes 
of  officers  were  assembled  in  tlie  court-yard,  all  looking  as  if 
something  very  dreadful  either  had  occurred,  or  ^vas  about 
to  happen.  Nobody  Avould  sjXiak  to  me  ;  nor  could  1  get  the 
least  explanation  of  this  extraordinary  conduct,  till  at  length 
our  friend  Deodato  appe:\red,  "\i  ith  a  countenance  no  less 
v/oful  than  those  'of  tlie  officers  of  govcniment,  imd  the  old 
eunuch.  1  asked  him  what  \vas  the  matter  ?  His  ansAver  was, 
We  are  all  lost,  ruined,  and  undone  !  He  then  inibrmed  me 
that  intelligence  had  aiTi\ed  from  Gehol,  stilting,  tiiat  Lord 
Macai'tney  had  refused  to  comply  \\ith  the  ceremonv  of  pro- 
strating himself,  like  the  embassadors  of  tributary  princes, 
nine  times  before  the  emperor,  unless  one  of  equal  rank  with 
himself  should  go  through  the  same  ceremony  before  the 
portrait  of  his  Britannic  majesty  :  that,  rather  than  do  diis,  tliey 
had  accepted  his  ofier  to  perform  die  same  ceremony  of 
respect  to  the  emperor  as  to  his  own  so\'ereign;  that,  altliough 
little  was  thought  of  this  afiliir  at  Gehol,  the  great  offieers'of 
state,  in  die  tribunal  or  dcpaitment  of  ceremonies  in  Pekin, 
AAcre  mortified,  and  peii^lexed,  and  alarmed;  and  that,  in 
short,  it  ^\'as  impossible  to  say  what  might  be  the  consequence 
of  an  event  uriprecedented  in  the  annals  of  the  empire  ;  that 
the  emperor,  Avhen  he  beg-an  to  think  more  seriously  on  the 
subject,  might  jiossibly  impeach  those,  before  the  criminal 
tribunal,  Avho  had  advised  him  to  accede  to  such  a  proposal, 
on  reflecting  how  much  his  dignity  had  suffered  by  the  com- 
pliance ;  and  that  the  records  of  the  countiy  might  hand  it 
dov.n  to  postei'it}-,  as  an  event  that  had  tarnislied  the  lustre  of 
his  reign,  being  nodiing  short  of  breaking  through  an  ancient 
custem,  and  adopting  one  of  a  barbai'ous  nation  in  its  place. 


80  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

Decdato  thought  eren  that  its  ill  efTtcts  might  extend  to  them, 
as  Europeans,  and  might  injure  the  cause  v.hich  was  the  first 
object  of  their  mission. 

1  found  it  in  vain  to  put  into  good  humour  that  day  either 
the  ofilccrs  of  the  government,  or  the  eunuchs,  or  even  the  mis- 
sionaries ;  and  our  table  wds  very  materially  affected  by  it, 
both  in  the  number  -and  the  quality  of  dishes ; — a  criterion 
from  which,  more  than  any  other,  a  judgment  may  be  formed 
of  the  state  of  mind  in  -which  a  Chinese  happens  to  be. 
Something  of  the  same  kind,  it  seems,  occurred  at  Gehol. 
From  the  time  the  embassador  began  to  make  conditions,  his 
table  was  abridged,  under  an  idea,  that  he  might  be  starved 
into  an  unconditional  complirjice.  Finding  this  experiment 
fail,  they  had  recourse  to  a  difierent  conduct,  and  became  all 
kindness  and  comaplaisance. 

The  ill-humour,  occasioned  by  the  news  from  Gehol, 
rraduaily  wore  off,  but  I  obserA-ed  that  the  princes,  W'ho  had 
been  hitlierto  daily  visitors,  novr  kept  entirely  away ;  and 
the  old  eunuch,  when  put  out  of  his  way,  used  to  apply  to  us 
the  epithet  of  proud,  headstrong  Englishmen. 

Oil  the  26th  the  embassador  (during  whose  stay  at  Gehol, 
in  Taitaiy,  an  account  of  all  that  passed  there  is  gi^  en  in  Sii* 
George  Staimton's  book)  returned  to  Pekin,  when  the  re- 
mainder of  the  presents  were  sent  to  Yuen-min-yuen.  A 
number  of  Tartiir  princes  and  great  ofiicers  of  state  came  to 
look  at  those  fitted  up  in  the  hall  of  audience,  and  seemed 
extremely  solicitous  that  the  whole  sliould  be  got  ready  with- 
out dela}-.  Notice  was  also  given  that,  on  the  30th,  the 
emperor  would  inspect  the  presents.  Tliis  \vas  the  da)-  fixed 
for  Ills  retuni ;  and  it  v.as  notified  to  tlie  embassador  that  it 
was  an  usual  compliment  for  all  public  officers  to  meet  him  on 
the  road,  at  the  distance  of  ten  ortv.'clve  miles  from  the  capital. 
Accordingly,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  30th, 
we  were  ail  mounted,  and  arrived  at  our  gi'ound  about  six. 
The  V.  hole  road  had  been  newly  made,  rolled  as  level  as  a 
bowling  green,  watered  to  keep  down  the  dust,  and,  on  each 
side,  at'^the  distance  of  about  fifty  jardsfrom  each  other,  were 
small  triangulai'  poles  erected,  fi-om  which  were  suspended 
pairited  lanterns. 

They  bronghtus  into  a  kind  of  guard-house,  v.  here  tea  and 
other  refreshment,  were  prepared,  after  which  we  took  our 
station  an  a  high  bank  on  the  left  of  the  road.     On  each  side, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  81 

as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  were  sevei-al  thousands  of  the 
great  officers  of  state,  in  their  habits  of  ceremony ;  Tai'tiir 
troops  in  their  hohda}-  dresses ;  standaid-beai-ers  without  num- 
ber, military  music,  and  officers  of  the  household,  lining  die 
two  sides  of  the  road.  The  approach  of  the  emperor  w  as  an- 
nounced by  a  blast  of  the  trumpet,  followed  b}*  softer  music, 
*'  and  at  diat  time,  when  all  the  j^eople  hciird  the  sound  of  the 
**  comet,  ffiites,  harp,  sackbut,  psaltery,  and  all  kinds  of  music, 
*'  then  the  princes,  the  govemors,  and  captains,  the  judges, 
"  the  treasurers,  the  counsellors,  die  sheriffs,  and  all  the  rulers 
"  of  the  proA'inces,  that  were  gathered  together  fell  down,  and 
*'  worshipped;"  except  ceilain  strangers,  who,  being  obsti- 
nately resohed  to  do  no  greater  homage  to  any  so^■ereign  than 
what  is  required  by  their  own  so\ereign,  bent  one  knee  only 
to  the  ground. 

The  emperor  was  carried,  by  eight  men,  in  a  kind  of  sedan 
chair,  which  \\"as  followed  by  a  climisy  state  chariot  upon  t^\c) 
wheels,  and  widiout  spruigs.  He  bowed  verj-  gi-aciousl}'  to 
tlie  embassador  as  he  passed,  and  sent  a  message  to  him  to 
say,  that,  understanding  he  >\-as  not  \ve\\,  he  advised  him  to 
return  immediately  to  Pekin,  and  not  to  stop  at  Yuen-miii- 
yuen,  as  was  intended. 

The  morning  being  ver}^  cold,  we  were  desirous  to  get 
home  as  fast  as  we  could;  and  accordingly  galloped  along  with 
some  of  die  Tartar  cavalr)\  When  we  aiTi\-ed  under  the,  walls 
of  Pekin,  we  turned  our  horses  to^\ards  a  different  gate  to  that 
through  Avhich  we  were  accustomed  to  pass,  in  order  to  see  a 
litde  more  of  the  cit}'.  But  one  of  our  conductors,  who  had 
diought  it  liis  duty  not  to  lose  sight  of  us,  in  perceiving  us 
making  a  WTong  turn,  hallowed  out  w  ith  all  his  might.  We 
pushed  forwai'd,  liowe\er,  and  got  tlirough  the  gate  ;  but  \\e 
were  pursued  with  such  a  hue  and  cr}-,  that  we  were  glad  to 
escape  through  one  of  die  cross-streets  leading  to  our  hotel, 
^vhere  we  arrived  with  at  least  a  hundred  soldiers  at  our 
keels. 

On  the  first  of  October,  the  emperor,  attended  by  a  Tartaj-, 
inspected  the  presents  in  the  hall  of  audience  and  examined 
them  with  minute  attention.  He  desired  the  T:irtir  prince  to 
tell  us,  through  Deodato,  that  the  accounts  he  had  received  of 
our  good  conduct  at  Yuen-min-yuen  gave  him  great  pleasure, 
and  tliat  he  had  ordered  a  present  to  be  made  to  each  of  us, 
as  a  proof  of  his  entire  satisfaction.    This  present  Avas  brought, 


S2  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

after  his  departure  from  the  hall,  by  the  old  eunuch,  who  took 
care  to  tell  us  that  before  we  received  it  we  must  make  nine 
prostrations  according  to  the  Chinese  custom.  I  made  him 
no  answer,  but  requested  Deodato  to  explain  to  the  Taitar 
prince,  who  "was  still  present,  that,  being  under  the  orders  of 
the  embassador,  -vve  chd  not  think  ourselves  autliorized  to  do 
what  lie  had  found  good  to  refuse,  but  tliat  we  had  not  the 
least  objection  to  go  tlirough  the  same  ceremony  that  he  had 
done  at  Geliol.  The  Tailai'  prince  immediately  ans^iered  that 
nothing  further  w-as  required.  We,  accordingly,  placed  one 
knee  on  the  lo^vest  step  leading  to  the  throne.  The  present 
consisted  of  rolls  of  silk,  and  sca  eral  pieces  of  silver  cast  in 
the  form  of  a  Tartar  shoe,  without  any  mark  or  inscription  on 
them,  and  each  about  the  weight  of  an  ounce. 

The  presents  being  nov/  all  delivered,  and  tlie  embassador 
informed  by  the  missionaries  that  preparations  were  mak- 
ing for  our  departure,  the  usual  time  being  nearly  expired, 
his  excellency  was  desirous  of  having  the  day  fixed;  and  for 
this  purpose  dispatched  a  note  to  tlie  first  minister,  who  sent 
an  answer  by  the  Tartar  legate  to  inform  him  that,  to  prevent 
any  likelihood  of  being  surprised  by  the  approaching  bad 
weather,  tlie  emperor  had  named  the  7th  instant  for  die  be- 
ginning of  our  journey ;  and  had  given  orders  that  every 
honour  and  distinction  should  be  paid  to  the  embassy  on  the 
road. 

But  before  I  quit  these  renowned  gai'dens  of  Yuen-min-yuen, 
it  will  naturally  be  expected  I  should  say  something  on  their 
subject.  From  all  that  I  had  hemxl  and  read  of  the  grandeur 
and  beauty  of  the  scenery  and  the  magnificence  of  the  palaces, 
I  had  certainly  expected  to  meet  with  a  style  of  gardening  and 
la}'ing  out  of  grounds  superior,  or  at  least  equal,  to  any  thing 
in  the  same  line  in  Europe ;  and,  perhaps,  indeed,  I  might 
have  been  fully  gratified  in  all  my  expectations,  provided  no 
-resti'aint  had  been  tlirown  upon  our  walks,  which  was  far  fi^om 
being  the  case.  All  the  little  excursions  I  made  were  by 
stealth.  Even  in  the  short  distance  between  the  hall  of  au- 
dience and  our  lodgings,  which  might  be  about  three  hundred 
paces,  we  were  continually  watched.  The  idea  of  being 
stopped  by  an  eunuch,  or  some  of  the  inferior  officers  belong- 
ing to  the  court,  was  sufficient  to  put  us  on  our  guard  against 
meetmg  with  any  such  mortification ;  pride,  in  such  circum- 
stances, generally  gets  the  better  of  the  desire,  however  strong, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  83 

of  gratifying  curiosity.  I  sometimes,  ho'wever,  A-entiired  to-, 
stroll  from  our  lodging  in  the  evening,  in  order  to  take  a  stolen 
glance  at  these  celebrated  ^dens. 

The  grounds  of  Yuen-min-yuen  are  calculated  to  compre- 
hend an  extent  of  at  least  ten  English  miles  in  diameter,  or 
about  sixty  thousand  acres,  a  great  part  of  A\hich,  howe^'er, 
is  \\-astes  and  ^^•oodland.  The  general  appeai^ance  of  those 
parts  near  ^\•hcre  ^ye  lodged,  as  to  tlie  natural  siuface  of  the 
coiintr}^,  broken  into  hill  and  dale,  and  di\'ersified  ^\"ith  wood 
and  lawn,  may  be  compared  w'lXh  Richmond  park,  to  which, 
however,  they  add  the  \'ery  great  advantage  of  abundance  of 
canals,  rivers  and  large  sheets  of  water,  whose  banks,  although 
artificial,  are  neither  trimmed,  nor  shorn,  nor  sloped  like  the 
glacis  of  a  fortification,  but  have  been  tliroAvn  up  with  im- 
mense labour  in  an  in-egular  and,  as  it  were,  fortuitous  man-  ' 
ner,  so  as  to  represent  the  free  hand  of  nature.  Bold  rocky 
promontories  are  seen  jutting  into  a  lake,  and  \'allics  retiring, 
some  choaked  ^^■ith  \\ood,  odiers  in  a  state  of  high  culti\'ation. 
In  particular  spots,  where  pleasure-houses,  or  places  of  rest 
or  retirement,  were  erected,  the  views  appcai'ed  to  ha"\e  been 
studied.  The  trees  were  not  only  placed  according  to  their 
magnitudes,  but  the  tints  of  their  foliage  seemed  also  to  have 
been  considered  in  the  composition  of  the  pictin-e,  \\hich 
some  of  the  landscapes  might  be  called,  with  gi^eat  propriety. 
But,  if  an  opinion  may  be  formed  from  those  parts  of  them 
which  I  have  seen,  and  I  understood  there  is  a  great  similarity 
throughout  the  whole,  they  fall  very  short  of  the  fanciful  and 
extravagant  descriptions  that  Sir  William  Chambers  has  given 
of  Chinese  gardening.  Much,  however,  has  been  done;  and 
nothing  that  I  saw  could  be  considered  as  an  offence  to  na- 
ture. 

Thirty  distinct  places  of  residence  for  the  emperor,  \\ith  all 
the  necessary  appendages  of  building  to  each,  for  lodging  tlie 
several  officers  of  state,  who  are  required  to  be  present  on 
court  days  imd  particular  occasions,  for  the  eunuchs,  servants, 
and  artificers,  each  composing  a  \'illage  of  no  inconsiderable 
magnitude,  are  said  to  be  contained  within  the  inclosure  of 
these  gardens.  These  assemblages  of  buildings,  wliich  they 
dignify  M'ith  the  name  of  palaces,  are,  however,  of  such  a  na- 
ture as  to  be  more  remarkable  for  their  number  than  for  their 
splendour  or  magnificence.  A  great  proportion  of  the  buildings 
consists  in  mean  cottages.     The  -s'ery  dwelling  of  tlie  emperor, 


8*  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

and  the  grand  hall  in  which  he  gives  audience,  when  divested 
of  the  gilding  and  the  gaud}'  coloiu's  \nth  which  they  are  daub- 
ed, ai'e  little  superior,  and  much  tess  solid,  than  the  bams  of 
a  substantial  English  farmer.  Their  aptutments  are  as  defi- 
cient in  proportion  as  their  construction  is  ^  oid  of  ever}^  rule 
and  principle  which  we  are  apt  to  consider  as  essential  to  ar- 
chitecture. The  principal  hall  of  audience  at  Yuen-min-yuen 
stood  upon  a  platform  of  granite,  raised  about  four  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  court.  A  row  of  large  \\'ooden  columns,  sur- 
rounding tlic  building,  suppoited  the  projecting  roof;  and  a 
second  row  within  the  first,  and  corresponding  ^^•ith  it  (the  in- 
terstices between  the  columns  being  filled  up  with  brick- work, 
to  the  height  of  about  four  feet)  served  for  die  walls  of  the 
room.  The  upper  part  of  these  walls  was  a  kind  of  lattice- 
'  \\-ork,  co^'ered  over  with  lai-ge  sheets  of  oiled  paper,  and  was 
capable  of  being  tlirown  entirely  open  upon  public  occasions. 
The  wooden  columns  had  no  capitals,  and  the  only  architrave 
was  the  horizontal  beam  that  supported  the  rafters  of  the  roof. 
This,  in  direct  conti-adiction  to  the  established  mode  in  Euro- 
pean architecture,  was  the  uppermost  member  of  what  might 
be  called  the  entablature,  or  tiize,  v. hich  was  a  broad  skreen 
of  wood,  fastened  between  the  upper  part  of  the  columns, 
painted  with  tlie  most  vivid  colours  of  blue,  red,  and  green,  and 
interlarded  with  gilding ;  and  the  whole  had  net- work  of  \\ire 
stretched  over  it,  to  prevent  its  being  defiled  by  swallows,  and 
other  birds  frequenting  human  dwellings.  The  length  of  this 
room  within  was  one  hundred  and  ten  feet,  breadth  forty-two, 
and  height  twenty  feet:  the  ceiling  painted  with  circles, 
squares,  and  polygons,  Avhimsically  disposed,  and  loaded  with 
a  great  variety  of  colours.  The  floor  Avas  paved  widi  grey 
marble  fiag-stones,  laid  chequer-Avise.  The  throne,  placed  in 
a  recess,  was  supported  by  ro^^-^s  of  pillai's  painted  red,  like 
those  v^■ithout.  It  consisted  entirel}^  of  wood,  not  unlike  ma- 
hogany, the  cai"\'ing  of  which  vi^as  exquisitely  fine.  The  only 
furniture  was  a  pair  of  brass  kettle-drums,  two  large  paintings, 
two  pair  of  ancient  blue  porcelain  vases,  a  few  volumes  of  ma- 
nuscripts, and  a  table  at  one  end  of  the  roqm,  on  which  was 
placed  an  old  English  chiming- clock,  made  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  by  one  Clarke  of  Leadenhall-sti-eet,  and  which  our 
old  friend  the  eunuch  had  the  impudence  to  tell  us  A\-as  the 
w  crkmanship  of  a  Chinese.  A  pair  of  circular  fans,  made  of 
the  A^dng-feathers  of  the  Argus  pheastmt,  and  mounted  on  long 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  85 

polished  ebony  poles,  stood  one  on  each  side  of  tlie  dirone, 
over  ^vhich  \\as  wiitten  in  four  chai-acters,  "  true,  great,  rc- 
"  fulgent,  splendor;  and  under  these,  in  a  lozenge,  the  cha- 
racter of  Happiness.  In  the  different  courts  were  several 
miserable  attempts  at  sculpture,  and  some  bronze  figures,  but 
all  the  objects  were  fanciful,  distorted,  and  entirely  out  of  na- 
ture. The  only  specimen  of  workmanship  about  the  palace, 
that  would  bear  a  close  examination,  besides  the  carving  of 
tlie  throne,  was  a  brick  wall,  enclosing  the  flower  garden, 
which,  perhaps,  in  no  respect  is  exceeded  by  any  thing  of  the 
sort  in  England. 

With  regard  to  the  architecture  and  gardening  of  the  Chi- 
nese, it  may  be  expected  that  I  should  give  a  more  detailed 
description,  or  offer  some  opinion  on  those  subjects.  The  little 
I  ha\e  to  sa}-  on  the  former  a\  ill  be  reser\ed  for  another  place ; 
and,  with  respect  to  the  latter,  I  regret  tliat  I  had  not  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  so  much  as  I  could  have  wished,  and  particu- 
iiirl}^  the  emperor's  great  pai-k  at  Gehol,  which,  from  the  de- 
scription of  the  embassador,  seemed  to  be  iilmost  unri\'alled  for 
its  features  of  beauty,  sublimity,  and  amenity.  But  my  own 
deficiency  will  be  amply  filled  up  with  an  extract  or  two  fi'om 
die  journal  of  his  lordship,  whose  taste  and  skill  in  landscape- 
gardening  arc  so  well  knonn.  I  have,  indeed,  much  to  re- 
gret that  I  could  not  enrich  tlie  present  A\ork  with  more  ex- 
tracts from  it ;  but  as  it  makes  a  complete  picture  of  itself,  the 
partial  selection  of  detached  parts  might  ha\e  been  injurious  to 
it,  by  conveying  ^\Tong  impressions,  when  unconnected  m  it!i 
the  rest.  I  am,  therefore,  the  more  obliged  (and  gladly  em- 
brace this  opportunity  of  expressing  the  obligations  I  feel)  to 
hisilordship,  for  ^\•hat  little  he  has  allow  ed  me  to  transcribe. 

Speaking  of  the  route  jfrom  Pekin  to  Gehol  in  Taitaiy, 
Lord  Macarfney  observes  :  "  Our  jouniey,  upon  the  whole, 
*'  has  been  veiy  pleasant,  and,  being  divided  into  se\en  days, 
"  not  at  all  fatiguing.  At  the  end  of  every  stage  we  have 
*'  been  lodged  and  enteitained  in  the  wings  or  houses  adjoin- 
"  ing  to  the  emperor's  palaces.  These  jjLilaces,  which  occur 
*'  at  short  distances  from  each  other  on  tlie  road,  have  been 
*'  built  for  his  reception,  on  his  annual  visit  to  Taitaiy.  They 
"  are  constructed  upon  nearly  the  same  plan,  and  in  the  same 
"  taste.  They  front  the  soutli,  and  are  usually  situated  on  ir- 
'*  regular  ground  near  the  bases  of  gentle  hills  \\'liicli,  together 
"  with  their  adjoining  vallies,  are  enclosed  by  high  M'alls,  and 


86  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

"  laid  out  in  parks  and  pleasure  grounds,  with  ever}'-  possible 
*'  attention  to  picturesque  beaut)'.  Whenever  water  can  be 
"  brought  into  tlie  vicAv,  it  is  not  neglected ;  the  distant  hills 
"  are  planted,  cultivated,  or  left  naked,  according  to  their  ac- 
*'  compimimcnts  in  the  prospect.  The  wall  is  often  concealed 
"  in  a  sunk  fence,  in  order  to  give  an  idea  of  greater  extent. 
"  A  Chinese  gardener  is  the  painter  of  nature ;  and  though 
"  totally  ignorant  of  perspective,  as  a  science,  produces  the 
*'  happiest  effects  by  the  management,  or  radier  pencilling,  of 
*'  distances,  if  I  may  use  the  expression,  by  relieving  or  keep- 
"  ing  down  the  features  of  the  scene,  by  contrasting  trees  of  a 
"  bright  with  those  of  a  dusky  foliage,  by  bringing  them  for- 
"  ward,  or  throAving  them  back,  according  to  their  bulk  and 
"  their  figure,  and  by  introducing  buildings  of  different  di- 
*'  mcnsions,  either  heightened  by  strong  colouring,  or  softened 
*'  by  simplicity  and  omission  of  ornament. 

"  The  emperor  having  been  infonned  that,  in  the  course  of 
*'  our  tra\'els  in  China,  w&  had  shewn  a  strong  desire  of  seeing 
*'  every  thing  curious  and  interesting,  was  pleased  to  give  di- 
*'  rections  to  the  first  minister  to  shew  us  his  park  or  garden 
"  at  Gehol.  It  is  called,  in  Chinese,  Van-shoo-yuen,  or  Pa- 
*'  radise  of  ten  thousand  (or  innumerable)  trees.  In  Order  to 
*'  ha\'e  this  gratification  (\A'hich  is  considered  as  an  instance  of 
*'  uncommon  favour)  we  rose  this  morning  at  tliree  o'clock, 
**  and  went  to  the  palace,  where  we  waited,  mixed  with  all  the 
"  great  officers  of  state,  for  tliree  hours,  (such  is  the  etiquette 
"  of  the  place)  till  the  emperor's  appearance.  At  last  he  came 
*'  forth,  borne  in  the  usual  manner,  by  sixteen  persons,  on  a 
"  high  open  palankeen,  attended  by  guards,  music,  standards, 
"  and  umbrellas  without  number ;  and  observing  us,  as  we 
"  stood  in  the  front  line,  gi'aciously  beckoned  us  to  approach, 
*'  having  ordered  his  people  to  stop.  He  entered  Into  conver- 
*'  sation  with  us ;  and,  with  great  affability  of  manner,  told  us 
*'  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  pagoda,  where  he  usually 
*'  paid  his- morning  devotions;  that  as  we  professed  a  different 
"  religion  from  his,  he  would  not  ask  us  to  accompany  him ; 
*'  but  that  he  had  ordered  his  first  minister  and  chief  colaos 
*'  to  conduct  us  through  his  garden,  and  to  shew  uswhatev^er 
"  we  were  desirous  of  seeing  there, 

"  Having  expressed  my  sense  of  this  mark  of  his  condescen- 
"  sion  in  the  proper  manner,  and  my  increasing  admiration  of 
"  every  thing  I  had  yet  obsen'ed  at  Gehol,  I  retired,  and. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  87 

**  whilst  lie  proceeded  to  his  adorations  at  the  pagoda,  I  ac- 
"  companied  the  ministers,  and  odicr  great  coluos  of  the 
*'  comt,  to  a  pavilion  prepai'ed  for  us,  from  whence,  after  a 
*'  short  collation,  we  set  out  on  horseback  to  view  tliis  won- 
*'  derful  gaixlen.  We  rode  about  three  miles  through  a  very 
*'  beautiful  park,  kept  in  die  highest  order,  and  much  resem- 
*'  bling  the  approach  to  Luton  in  Bedfordshire ;  the  grounds 
*'  gently  undulated  and  chequered  with  \arious  groupes  of  well 
*'  contrasted  trees  in  the  offskip.  As  we  moved  onward,  aii 
"  extensive  lake  appeared  before  us,  the  extremities  of  which 
"  seemed  to  lose  themseh'es  in  distajice  and  obscurit}-.  Here 
"  was  a  large  and  magnificent  yacht  read}-  to  receive  us,  and 
"  a  number  of  smaller  ones  for  the  attendants,  elegantly  fitted 
"  up  and  adorned  with  numberless  vanes,  pendants,  and 
*'  sti-eamers.  The  shores  of  the  lake  have  all  die  varieties  of 
"  sliape,  Avhich  the  fancy  of  a  painter  can  delineate ;  and  are 
*'  so  indented  with  bays,  or  broken  widi  projections,  that  al- 
"  most  every  stroke  of  the  oai-  brought  a  new  and  unexpected 
*'  object  to  our  view.  Nor  ai-e  islands  wanting;  butthev  arc 
"  situated  only  w  here  they  should  be,  each  in  its  proper  place, 
"  and  having  its  proper  chai'acter :  one  mai"ked  b}-  a  pagoda, 
*'  or  other  building;  one  quite  destitute  of  oniamertt;  some 
*'  smooth  and  IcacI;  some  steep  and  uneven;  and  odiers 
*'  fro-\vning  with  A\"ocd,  or  smiling  A\ith  culture.  \Vhere  any 
"  things  piuticularly  interesting  were  to  be  seen  we  disem- 
"  barked,  from  time  to  time,  to  visit  them,  and  I  dare  sav 
"  that,  in  the  course  of  our  \oyage,  we  stopped  at  fortv*  or 
*'  fift}'  different  palaces  or  pavilions.  These  are  all  furnished 
"  in  the  richest  manner,  with  pictures  of  the  emperor's  hunt- 
*'  higs  and  progresses,  widi  stupendous  vases  of  jasper  and 
*'  agate;  with  the  finest  porcelain  and  japan,  and  with  eveiy 
*'  kind  of  European  toys  and  sing-songs;  with  spheres,  one- 
*'  ries,  clocks,  and  musical  automatons,  of  such  exquisite 
"  workmansliip,  and  in  such  profusion,  that  our  presents 
*'  must  shrink  from  the  comparison,  and  hide  their  diminish- 
*'  ed  heads ;  and  yet  I  am  told,  that  the  fine  tilings  which  we 
"  have  seen  are  far  exceeded  by  others  of  the  same  kind  in 
"  die  apartments  of  the  ladies,  and  in  the  European  repository 
*'  at  Yuen-min-yuen.  In  every  one  of  die  pavilions  was  a 
*'  throne,  of  imperial  state,  and  a  Eu-jou,  or  symbol  of  peace 
'*  and  prosperity,  placed  at  one  side  of  it,  resembling  that 
"  wliich  the  emperor  delivered  to  me  yesterday  for  the  king. 


88  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

*'  It  would  be  an  endless  task,  A\ere  I  to  attempt  a  detail  of 
all  the  wonders  of  this  charming  place.  There  is  no  beauty 
of  distribution,  no  feature  of  amenity,  no  reach  of  fancy, 
\\  hich  embellishes  our  pleasure  grounds  in  England,  that  is 
not  to  be  found  here.  Had  China  been  accessible  to  Mr. 
Bro\vne  or  Mr.  Hamilton,  I  should  have  sworn  they  had 
drawn  their  happiest  ideas  from  the  rich  sources  M'hich  I 
have  tasted  diis  day ;  for,  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  I 
have  enj0}'ed  such  vicissitudes  of  rural  delight,  as  I  did  not 
conceive  could  be  felt  out  of  England ;  being  at  different 
moments  enchanted  by  scenes  periectly  similai'  to  those  I 
had  known  there,  to  the  magnificence  of  Stowe,  the  softer 
beauties  of  A^'^ooburn,  imd  the  faiiy-land  of  Paine's  Hill. 
"  One  thing  I  ^vas  particuku'ly  struck  with;  I  mean  the 
happy  choice  of  situation  for  ornamental  buildings.  From 
attention  to  this  circumstance  they  have  not  the  air  of  being 
cro^\clcd  or  disproportioned  ;  they  never  intrude  upon  the 
e}-e ;  but,  w  herc\'er  they  appear,  ahva}^s  shew  themselves  to 
advantage,  and  aid,  improve,  and  enliven  the  prospect. 
"  In  many  places  the  lake  is  overspread  wdth  the  nenuphar 
or  lotus  (nelumbian)  resembling  our  broad-leaved  water-lily. 
This  is  an  accompaniment  \vhich,  though  the  Chinese  are 
passionately  fond  of,  cultivating  it  in  all  their  pieces  of  water, 
I  confess  I  don't  much  admire.  Artificial  rocks  and  ponds, 
Avith  gold  and  silver  fish,  ai'C,  perhaps,  too  often  introduced ; 
and  the  monstrous  porcelain  figures  of  lions  and  tygers, 
usuallv  placed  before  the  pavilions,  are  displeasing  to  an  Eu- 
ropean eye  ;  but  these  ai'C  trifles  of  no  great  moment ;  and 
I  am  astonished  that  now,  after  a  six  hours  critical  survey  of 
these  gardens,  I  can  scaixely  recollect  any  thing  besides  to 
find  fault  witli. 

"  At  our  taking  leave  of  the  minister,  he  told  us  that  we  had 
only  seen  the  eastern  side  of  the  gardens,  but  that  the  west- 
em  side,  V,  hich  was  the  largest  part,  still  remained  for  him 
to  shew  us ;  and  that  he  should  have  that  pleasure  another 

day. 

"  Accordingly,  on  the  day  of  the  emperor's  anniversary  fes- 
tival, alter  the' ceremony  \\as  ended,  the  first  or  great  colao 
Ho-chun-tong,  the  Foo-leou,  the  Foo-leou's  brother  Foo- 
chan-tong,  an'd  Song-ta-gin,  w  ith  the  other  gi-eat  men  who 
attended  us  two  days  since,  in  our  visit  to  the  eastern  gar- 
den, now  proposed' to  accompany  us  to  the  Avestem,  \\hich 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  89 

*'  forms  a  strong  contrast  with  the  other,  and  exhibits  all  the 
"  sublimer  beauties  of  nature,  in  as  high  a  degree  as  the  part 
"  which  we  saw  before  possesses  the  attractions  of  softness 
*'  and  amenit3\  It  is  one  of  the  finest  forest-scenes  in  the 
*'  world;  Avild,  ^^'Oody,  mountiiinous  and  rock}-,  abounding 
"  with  stags  and  deer  of  different  species,  and  most  of  the 
"  other  beasts  of  the  chace,  not  dangerous  to  man. 

"  In  many  places  immense  woods,  chiefly  oaks,  pines,  and 
"  chesnuts,  gi-ow  upon  almost  perpendicular  steeps,  and  force 
*'  their  sturdy  roots  through  csery  resistance  of  surface  and  of 
"  soil,  \\here  vegetation  would  seem  almost  impossible.  These 
"  woods  often  clamber  o^er  the  loftiest  pinnacles  of  the  stony 
*'  hills,  or,  gathering  on  the  skirts  of  tliem,  descend  with  a  rapid 
"  sweep,  and  bury  themsehes  in  the  deepest  ^'alleys.  There, 
*'  at  proper  distances,  you  find  piilaces,  banqueting  houses, 
"  and  monasteries,  (but  without  bonzes)  adapted  to  the  situa- 
"  tion  and  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  place,  sometimes  widi 
**  a  rivulet  on  one  hand,  gently  stealing  through  the  glade,  at 
"  others  ^^■id^  a  cataract  tumbling  from  above,  raging  ^^'ith  foam, 
"  and  rebounding  with  a  thousand  echoes  from  below^  or  si- 
"  lently  engul^hed  in  a  gloomy  pool  or  jawning  chasm. 

*'  The  roads  by  which  we  approached  these  romantic  scenes 
*'  are  often  hewn  out  of  the  living  rock,  and  conducted  round 
**  the  hills  in  a  kind  of  rugged  stair-case  ;  and  yet  no  accident 
"  occuiTcd  in  our  progress,  not  a  false  step  disturbed  the  rc- 
*'  gularity  of  our  cavalcade,  though  the  horses  ai*e  spirited, 
"  and  all  of  them  unshod.  From  the  gi'eat  irregulaiit}-  of 
"  the  ground,  and  the  various  heights  to  which  we  ascended, 
"  we  had  opportunities  of  catching  niiuiy  magnificent  points  of 
"  view  by  detached  glances ;  but,  after  wandering  for  se\'eral 
*'  hours  (and  yet  ne\^er  \\'earied  \\dth  wandering),  vre  at  last 
"  reached  a  covered  pavilion,  open  on  all  sides,  and  situated 
"  on  a  summit  so  elevated  as  perfectly  to  command  the  ^\hole 
"  surrounding  countiy,  to  a  vast  extent.  The  radius  of  tlie  ho- 
*'  rizon  I  should  suppose  to  be  at  least  twenty  mUes  from  the 
*'  central  spot  where  we  stood ;  and,  certainly,  so  rich,  so 
*'  various,  so  beautiful,  so  sublime  a  prospect,  my  eyes  had 
"  never  beheld.  I  saw  every  thing  before  me  as  on  an  illumi- 
*'  nated  map  ;  palaces,  pagodas,  towns,  villages,  farm-houses, 
"  plains,  and  valleys,  watered  by  innumerable  streams,  hills 
*'  waiving  whh  woods,  and  meadows  covered  w  ith  cattle  of  the 
"most  beautiful  maj'ks  and  colours.     All  seemed  to  be  neaily 

u 


90  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

"  at  mv  feet,  and  that  a  step  would  convey  me  within  reach  of 
"  them. 

"  I  obsen'ed  here  a  vast  number  of  what  we  call  in  Eng- 
"  land  sheet  cows,  also  sheet  horses,  many  pyeballs,  dappled, 
*'  mottled,  and  spotted,  the  latter  chiefly  strawberr}^ 

*'  From  hence  Mas  pouited  out  to  us  by  the  muiister  a  vast 
*'  enclosure  below,  ^\■hich,  he  said,  was  not  more  accessible  to 
"  him  than  to  us,  being  never  entered  but  by  the  emperor,  his 
"  women,  or  his  eunuchs.  It  includes  within  its  bounds, 
*'  though  on  a  smaller  scale,  most  of  the  beauties  -which  dis- 
*'  tinguish  the  eastern  and  the  western  gardens  which  we  have 
*'  already  seen;  but,  from  everj^  thing  1  can  leani,  it  falls  very 
*'  short  of  the  fanciful  descriptions  which  Father  Attiret  and  Sir 
*'  William  Chambers  have  intruded  upon  us  as  realities.  That 
"  within  these  private  retreats,  various  entertainments,  of 
"  the  most  novel  and  expensive  nature,  are  prepared  and 
*'  exhibited  by  the  eunuchs,  who  are  very  numerous  (perhaps 
"  some  thousands),  to  amuse  the  emperor  and  his  ladies,  I 
*'  have  no  doubt ;  but  that  they  ai'C  carried  to  all  the  lengths 
*'  of  extraA^agance  and  improbability  those  gentlemen  have 
"  mentioned,  I  ^er}^  much  question,  as,  from^ery  enquiry  I 
"  have  made  (and  I  have  not  been  sparing  to  make  them),  I 
"  liaA'C  by  no  means  sufficient  reason  to  w'arrant  me  in  acced- 
*'  ing  to,  or  confiiTning,  tlie  accounts  which  they  have  given 
*'  us. 

"  If  any  place  in  England  can  be  said,  in  any  respect,  to 
*'  have  similar  features  to  the  western  pai"k,  which  I  have  seen 
"  this  day,  it  is  Lo\vther-Hall  in  AVestmoreland,  which,  ( wlien 
"  I  knew  it  many  years  ago)  from  the  extent  of  prospect,  the 
*'  grand  surrounding  objects,  the  noble  situation,  the  diversity 
"  of  surface,  the  extensive  woods,  and  command  of  M-ater, 
*'  I  thought  might  be  rendered,  by  a  man  of  sense,  spirit,  and 
"  taste,  the  finest  scene  in  the  British  dominions." 

After  this  descriptive  and  interesting  detail  of  the  beauties 
of  the  tMo  sides  of  the  imperial  park  or  gai'dens  at  Gehol,  his 
lordsliip  makes  a  few  genei-al  observations  on  Chinese  garden- 
ingj  and  the  ornamental  edifices  tliat  are  usually  employed  to 
aid  the  effect,  as  well  as  contiibute  to  use  and  convenience. 
He  observes, 

"  W^hetlier  our  st}^le  of  gardening  was  really  copied  from 
"  the  Chinese,  or  originated  with  ourselves,  I  leave  for  vanity 
*'  to  assert,  and  idleness  to  discuss,    A  discovery  wliich  is  the' 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  §i 

**  result  of  good  sense  and  reflexion   may  equally  occur  to 
"  tlie  most  distant  nations,  without  eidier  boiTowing  from  the 
"  other.     There  is  certainly  a  great  analogy  between  our  gar- 
*'  dening  and  the  Chinese;  but  our  excellence  seems  to  b« 
"  rather  in  improving  nature,  theirs  to  conquer  her,  and  yet 
*'  produce  the  same  effett.  It  is  indift'erent  to  a  Chinese \\herc 
*'  he  makes  his  gaixlen,  whether  on  a  spot  fa\  ourcd,  or  aban- 
"  doned,  by  the  rural  deities.     If  the  latter,  he  invites  them,  or 
*'  compels  them  to  return.     His  point  is  to  change  e\ery  thing 
*'  from  what  he  found  it,  to  explode  the  old  fashion  of  the  crca- 
*'  tion,  and  introduce  noA'clty  in  ever}-  corner.     If  there  be  a 
*'  waste,  he  adorns  it  with  trees  ;  if  a  dry  desert,  he  waters  it 
*'  with  a  river,  or  floats  it  ^^•ith  a  lake.     If  there  be  a  smooth  flat, 
*'  he  varies  it  with  all  possible  conversions,     He  undulates  the 
*'  surface,  he  raises  it  in  hills,  scoops  it  into  valleys,  and  rough- 
*'  ens  it  with  rocks.     He  softens  asperities,  brings  amenity  in- 
"  to  tlie  wilderness,  or  animates  the  tameness  of  an  expanse,  by 
*'  accompan}ing  it  with  the  majesty  of  a  forest.     Deceptions 
*'  and  eye-traps  the  Chinese  are  not  unacquainted  \\  ith,  but 
*'  diey  use  them  \'er}'  sparingly.  I  observed  no  artiflciiil  ruins, 
**  caves,  or  hermitages.    Though  the  sublime  predominates  in 
*'  its  proper  station,  you  ai"e  insensibly  led  to  contemplate  it, 
*'  notstai'tled  by  its  sudden  intrusion;  for,  in  the  plan,  chcer- 
*'  fulness  is  the  principal  feature,  and  lights  up  the  face  of  the 
"  scene.     To  enliven  it  still  more,  the  aid  of  architecture  is 
"  invited ;  all  the  buildings  ai-e  perfect  of  their  kind,  either 
*'  elegantly  simple,   or  highl}"  decorated,  according  to  the 
*'  effect  that  is  intended  to  aiise,  erected  at  suitable  distances, 
**  and  judiciously  contrasted,  ne\'er  crowded  together  in  con- 
*'  fusion,  nor  affectedly  confronted,  and  staring  at  each  other 
"  widiout  meaning.     Proper  edifices  in  proper  places.     The 
"  summer-house,  the  pavilion,  the  pagodas,  have  all  their  re-, 
*'  spective  situations,   which  they  distinguish  and  improve, 
*'  but  ^vhich  any  other  structures  \\'ould  injure  or  defomi. 
*'  The  only  things  disagi^eeablc  to  my  eye  are  the  large  porce- 
"  lain  figures  of  lions,  tygers,  &c.  and  the  rough  hewn  steps, 
"  and  huge  masses  of  rock-work,  -which  they  seem  studious 
"  of  introducmg  near  many  of  their  houses  and  palaces.  Con- 
"  sidering  their  general  good  taste  in  the  other  points,  I  was 
*'  much  surprised  at  this,  and  could  only  account  for  it,  by 
"  the  expense  and  the  difliculty  of  bringing  together  such  in- 
*'  congruities ;  for  it  is  a  common  effect  of  enormous  riches  to 


92  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

push  e-ver}'  tiling  they  can  procure  to  bombast  and  extrava- 
gance, which  are  the  death  of  taste.  In  other  countries, 
ho^^  ever,  as  Avell  as  in  China,  I  have  seen  some  of  the  most 
boasted  seats,  cither  outgi-owing  their  beauty  from  a  pletliora 
of  tlieir  o^^^ler's  \vealth,  or  becoming  capricious  and  h}'^po- 
chondriacal  by  a  quack  ish  apphcation  of  it.  A  few  fine 
places,  Gven  in  England,  might  be  pointed  out,  that  are  la- 
bouring under  these  disorders ;  not  to  mention  some  cele- 
brated houses  ■\\  here  t\\  isted  stair-cases,  window-glass  cu- 
polas, and  embroidered  cliimney-pieces,  convey  nothing  to 
us  but  the  whims  and  dreams  of  sickly  fancy,  without  an 
atom  of  grandeur,  taste,  or  propriety.  , 
"  The  arcliitecture  of  the  Chinese  is  of  a  peculiar  style,  to- 
tally unlike  any  other,  irreducible  to  our  rules,  but  perfectly 
consistent  with  its  onii.  It  has  certain  principles,  from 
which  it  ne^er  deviates,  and  although,  when  examined  ac- 
cording to  ours,  it  sins  against  the  ideas  we  have  imbibed 
of  distribution,  composition,  and  proportion ;  yet,  upon 
die  whole,  it  often  produces  a  most  pleasing  effect,  as 
we  sometimes  see  a  person,  Avithout  a  single  good  feature 
in  his  face,  have,  nevertheless,  a  very  agreeable  coun- 
tenance." 


CHAP.  IV. 

SKETCH  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOCIETY  IN  CHINA MANNERS, 

CUSTOMS,  SENTIMENTS,  AND  MORAL  CHARACTER,  OF  THE 
PEOPLE. 


Condition  of  Women,  a  Criterion  of  the  State  of  Society. — Degraded  State  of  in 
China. — Domestic  Manners  uiif:ivour.ahle  to  Fihal  Aliection. — Parental  Au- 
thority.:—Ill  Effects  of  separating-  the  Sexes. — Social  Intercourse  unknown,  ex- 
cept for  Gaming. — Their  Worship  solitary. — Fea.sts  of  New  Year. — Propensity 
to  Gaming. — Influence  of  the  Laws  seertis  to  have  destroyed  the  Natural  Cha- 
racter of  the  People. — Made  them  indifferent,  or  cruel. — Various  Instances  of 
tills  Remark  in  public  and  in  private  Life. — Reni.arks  on  Infanticide. — Perhaps 
less  general  than  usually  thought. — Character  of  the  Chinese  in  foreign  Coun- 
tries.— Temper  and  Disposition  of  the  Cliinese. — Merch.ints. — Cuckoo-Clocks. 
— Conduct  of  a  Prince  of  tlie  Blood. — Of  the  Prime  Minister. — Comparison  of 
tlie  Physical  and  Moral  Characters  of  the  Chinese  and  Man-tchoo  Tai-tai  s. — 
General  Character  of  the  Nation  illustrated. 

IT  may,  perhaps,  be  laid  down  as  an  i^^'ariable  maxim, 
tliat  the  condition  of  the  female  })ai-t  of  society,  in  any  nation, 
\\ill  furnish  a  tolerably  just  criterion  of  tlie  degi'ee  of  civiliza- 
tion to  which  diat  nation  has  airived.  The  manners,  habits, 
and  prevailing  sentiments  of  women,  liave  great  influence  on 
those  of  the  society  to  which  they  belong,  and  genei-ally  give 
a  turn  to  its  character.  Thus  we  shall  find  that  those  nations, 
where  the  moral  and  intellectual  poA\ers  of  the  mind,  in  die 
female  sex,  are  held  in  most  estimation,  will  be  governed  by 
such  laws  iis  are  best  calculated  to  promote  the  gx^neral  happi- 
ness of  the  people ;  and,  on  die  contrary,  >\'here  the  personal 
qualifications  of  the  sex  arc  the  onl}^  objects  of  consideration, 
as  is  the  case  in  all  the  despotic  go\^eriiments  of  Asiatic  na- 
tions, tyraiin}',  oppression,  and  slavery  are  sine  to  prevail; 
and  these  personal  accomplishments,  so  far  from  being  of  use 
to  the  owner,  serve  only  to  deprive  her  of  libert}- ,  and  the  ^o- 
ciety^  of  her  friends ;  to  render  her  a  degraded  victim,  subser- 
vient to  the  sensual  giatifications,  the  caprice,  and  die  jealousy 
of  tyi-ant  man.  Among  savage  tribes,  the  labour  and  dxudger}'^ 
invariably  fall  heaviest  on  the  weaker  sex. 


94  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

The  talents  of  Avomen,  in  our  own  happy  island,  began  on- 
ly in  tlie  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  to  be  held  in  a  proper  de- 
gree of  consideration.  As  ^vomen,  they  were  admired  and 
courted,  but  they  scarcely  could  be  said  to  participate  in  the 
society  of  men.  In  fact,  the  manners  of  our  forefathers,  be- 
fore that  reign,  were  too  rough  for  tliem.  In  Wales,  wives 
were  sold  to  their  husbands.  In  Scotland,  women  could  not 
appeal'  as  evidences  in  a  court  of  justice.  In  the  time  of 
Henry  the  Eighth,  an  act  was  passed,  prohibiting  women  and 
apprentices  from  reading  the  New  Testament  in  the  English 
language.  Among  the  polished  Greeks,  they  were  held  in 
little  estimation.  Hom.er  degrades  all  his  females :  he  makes 
the  Grecian  princesses  weave  the  web,  spin,  and  do  all  the 
drudgeiy  of  a  modem  ^\asherwoman ;  and  rai'ely  allows  them 
an}'  share  of  social  intercourse  with  the  otlier  sex.  Yet,  the 
very  foundations  on  Avhich  he  has  consti'ucted  his  two  match- 
less poems,  ai-e  women.  -  It  appears  also  from  all  the  dramatic 
WTiters  of  ancient  Greece,  ^vhose  aim  A\-as  "  to  hold,  as  'twere, 
*'  the  mirror  up  to  nature,  to  shew  the  very  age  and  body  of 
"  the  time,  its  form  and  pressure,"  that,  notwithstanding  their 
extreme  delicacy  of  taste,  and  rapid  progress  in  tlie  fine  arts^ 
their  manners  Avere  low  and  coarse,  and  tihat  they  were  entire 
strangers  to  any  other  gi-atification,  arising  from  the  society  of 
women,  than  tlie  indulgence  of  the  sensual  appetite.  Even 
the  grave  Herodotus  mentions,  in  tlie  highest  terms  of  appro- 
bation, the  custom  of  Babylon,  of  selling  by  auction,  on  a  cer- 
tain fixed  day,  all  the  young  women  who  had  any  pretensions 
to  beauty,  in  order  to  raise  a  sum  of  money  for  portioning  off 
the  rest  of  the  females,  to  whom  nature  had  been  less  liberal 
in  bestowing  her  gifts,  and  who  were  knocked  doA\'n  to  those 
who  '.I'cre  satisfied  to  take  them  with  the  least  money.  This 
degradation  of  ^vomen  would  seem  to  be  as  impolitic  as  it  is 
extraordinaiy,  since,  under  tlieir  guidance,  the  ea?'liest,  and 
sometimes  the  most  indelible  (I  believe  I  may  safely  add,  the 
best  and  most  amiable)  impressions  are  stamped  on  the  youth- 
ful mind.  In  infancy  their  protection  is  indispensably  neces- 
sar}-,  and  in  sickness,  or  in  cJd  age,  they  unquestionably  afford 
tlie  best  and  kindest  relief:  or,  as  a  French  author  has  neatly 
obser\ed,  "  Sans  les  femmes  les  deux  exti-6mites  de  la  vie 
'*  seraient  sans  secours,  et  le  milieu  sans  plaisirs."  "  With- 
"  out  A\-oman  the  two  extremities  of  life  would  be  helples;^, 
"  and  the  middle  of  it  joyless." 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  9S 

The  Chinese,  if  possible,  Imve  imposed  on  their  Avomen  a 
greater  degree  of  humiUty  iind  restraint  tlian  the  Greeks  of 
old,  or  die  Europeans  m  the  dai'k  ages.  Not  satisfied  widi 
the  physical  deprivation  of  the  use  of  their  limbs,  they  h-dvo. 
contrived,  in  order  to  keep  them  the  more  confined,  to  make 
it  a  moral  crime  for  a  woman  to  be  seen  abroad.  If  they 
should  have  occasion  to  ^•isit  a  friend  or  relation,  they  must 
be  caiTied  in  a  close  sedan  chair :  to  walk  \\ould  be  the  height 
of  vulg-arit}'.  E^•en  the  countrj^  ladies,  who  may  not  possess 
the  luxur}'  of  a  chair,  rather  than  walk,  sufibr  themselves  to 
be  sometimes  rolled  about  in  a  sort  of  covered  wheelban^ow. 
The  w  ives  and  daughters,  however,  of  die  lower  class  arc 
neither  confined  to  the  house  nor  exempt  from  haixl  and  slav- 
ish labour ;  many  being  obliged  to  \\  ork  with  an  infant  upon 
the  back,  while  the  husband,  in  all  probabilit}-,  is  gaming,  or 
otherwise  idling  away  his  time.  I  ha\"e  fi-eqiiently  seen  women 
assisting  to  drag  a  sort  of  light  plough,  and  the  harrow.  Nieii- 
whoft',  in  one  of  his  prints,  Uiken  fi-om  dra\vings  supposed  to 
be  made  in  China,  yokes,  if  I  mistake  not,  a  woman  to  the 
same  plough  with  an  ass.  Should  this  be  die  fact,  the  Clu- 
nese  ai"e  not  singular,  if  we  may  credit  the  natural  historian  of 
antiquit}^-,*  who  observes  diat,  to  open  the  fertile  fields  of  By- 
zacium  in  Africa,  it  was  necessary  to  wait  until  the  I'ains  had 
soaked  into  the  giound ;  "  after  which  a  little  weakly  ass,  and 
*'  an  old  woman,  attached  to  the  same  yoke,  were  sufficient 
**  to  di'ag  the  plough  through  the  soil,"  "  post  imbres  x'lYi  asel- 
*'  lo,  et  a  parte  altera  jugi  anu  \omerem  ti'aliente  \idimus 
"  scindL" 

In  the  province  of  Kiang-see  nothing  is  more  common  than 
to  see  a  woman  drawing  a  kind  of  light  plough,  with  a  single 
handle,  through  gi-ound  that  has  previously  been  prcpiu-ecL 
The  easier  task  of  directing  the  machine  is  left  to  the  husband, 
who,  holding  the  plough  m  ith  one  hand,  at  the  same  time^ 
with  the  other,  casts  die  seed  into  die  drills. 

The  advantages  which  those  women  possess  in  a  higlicf 
splierc  of  life,  if  any,  are  not  much  to  be  envied.  Even  at 
home,  in  her  own  family,  a  woman  must  neither  eat  at  the 
same  table  nor  sit  in  the  same  room  with  her  husband.  And 
die  male  children,  at  the  age  of  nine  or  ten,  are  entirely  sepa- 
rated from  their  sisters.  Thus  the  feelings  of  affection,  not 
the  insUnctive  products  of  nature,  but  the  offspring  of  frequent 

*  riin.  lib.  xri.  oap.  St. 


96  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

intercourse  and  of  a  mutual  communication  of  their  little  wants 
and  pleasures,  are  nipped  in  the  very  bud  of  damning  senti- 
ment. A  cold  and  ceremonious  conduct  must  be  observ^ed  on 
all  occasions  betAveen  the  members  of  the  same  family.  There 
is  no  common  focus  to  attract  and  concentrate  the  love  and  re- 
spect of  childi'cn  for  their  parents.  Each  lives  retired  and  apart 
from  the  other.  The  little  incidents  and  adventures  of  the  day, 
which  furnish  the  conversation  among  children  of  many  a  long 
winter's  evening,  by  a  comfortable  fire-side,  in  our  oa\ti  coun- 
tiy,  are  in  China  buried  in  silence.  Boys,  it  is  true,  some- 
times mix  together  in  schools,  but  the  stiff  and  ceremonious 
behaviour,  which  constitutes  no  inconsiderable  part  of  their 
education,  throws  a  restraint  on  all  the  little  playful  actions  in- 
cident to  their  time  of  life,  and  completely  subdues  all  spirit  of 
activity  and  enterprise.  A  Chinese  youth,  of  the  higher  class,  is 
inanimate,  formal,  and  inactive,  constantly  endeavouring  to  as- 
sume the  graA'ity  of  years. 

To  beguile  the  many  tedioug  and  heavy  hours,  that  must 
unavoidably  occur  to  the  secluded  families  totally  unqualified 
for  mental  pursuits,  the  tobacco-pipe  is  the  usual  expedient. 
Ever}^  female,  from  the  age  of  eight  or  nine  years,  weai-s,  as  an 
appendage  to  her  di'ess,  a  small  silken  purse  or  pocket,  to  hold 
tobacco  and  a  pipe,  with  the  use  of  which  many  of  them  are 
not  unacquainted  at  this  tender  age.  Some,  indeed,  ai*e  con- 
stantly employed  in  working  embroidery  on  silks,  or  in  paint- 
ing birds,  insects,  and  flowers  on  thin  gauze.  In  the  ladies* 
apaitments  of  the  great  house  in  which  we  lived,  at  Pekin,  we 
observed  some  very  beautiful  specimens  of  both  kinds  in  the 
pannels  of  the  partitions,  and  I  brought  home  a  few  articles 
v/nich  I  understand  have  been  much  admired ;  but  the  women 
who  employ  their  time  in  this  manner  ai-e  generally  the  wives 
and  daughters  of  tradesmen  and  artificers,  who  are  usually  the 
weavers  both  of  cottons  and  silks.  I  remember  asking  one  of 
the  great  officers  of  the  court,  who  wore  a  silken  vest  beauti- 
fully embroidered,  if  it  was  the  work  of  his  lady,  but  the  sup- 
position that  his  wife  should  condescend  to  use  her  needle 
seemed  to  give  him  offence. 

Their  manners  in  domestic  life  are  little  calculated  to  pro- 
duce tliat  extraordinary  degree  of  filial  piety,  or  affection  and 
reverence  towards  parents,  for  which  they  have  been  eminently 
celebrated,  and  to  the  salutary'  effects  of  which  the  Jesuits  have 
attributed  the  stability  of  the  government.     Filial  duty  is,  in 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  «f 

fact,  in  China,  less  a  moral  sentiment  than  a  precept  which 
by  length  of  time  lias  acquired  the  efficacy  of  a  positive  law ; 
and  it  may  truly  be  said  to  exist  more  in  tlie  maxims  of  the  go- 
vernment than  in  tlie  minds  of  the  people.  Had  tl\e}%  indeed, 
considered  filial  pietj'  to  be  sufficiently  strong  when  left  to  its 
own  natuiTd  influence,  a  precept  or  hn\'  to  enforce  it  Mould 
have  been  superfluous.  The  first  maxim  inculcated  in  early 
life  is  the  entire  submission  of  cliilchen  to  the  will  of  their  pa- 
rents. The  tenour  of  this  precept  is  not  only  "  to  honour  thy 
*'  father  and  thy  mother,  diat  th}'  da}'s  may  be  long  in  the 
*'  land;"  but  to  labour  for  thy  father  and  mother  as  long  as 
tliey  both  shall  live,  to  sell  thyself  into  pci-pctual  sen  itude  for 
their  support,  if  necessar}-,  and  to  consider  diy  life  at  their 
disposal.  So  much  has  this  sentiment  of  parental  authority 
gained  ground  by  precept  and  habit,  that,  to  all  intents  and 
puiposes,  it  is  as  binding  as  the  strongest  law.  It  gi^•es  to  the 
parent  die  exercise  of  the  same  imlimited  and  arbitraiy  po^^•cr 
over  his  children  that  the  emperor,  die  common  father,  posr 
sesses  by  law  over  his  people.  Hence,  as  among  the  Romans, 
die  father  has  the  po\\  er  to  sell  his  son  for  a  sla^'e ;  and  this 
power,  either  from  caprice,  or  from  povert)',  pr  ptlier  causes, 
is  not  unfrequendy  put  in  force. 

A  law  that  is  founded  in  reason  or  equity  seldom  requires 
to  be  explained  or  justified.  The  governor  of  China,  in 
sanctioning  an  act  of  parental  authority  that  militates  so 
strongly  against  every  principle  of  nature,  or  moral  right  and 
wrong,  seems  to  have  felt  the  force  of  this  remark.  Their 
learned  men  have  been  employed  in  miting  volumes  on  the 
subject,  the  principal  aim  of  which  appears  to  be  tliat  of  im- 
pressing on  die  minds  of  the  people  the  compai'ative  authority 
of  die  emperor  over  his  subjects  aiul  of  a  pai-ent  over  his  chil- 
dren. The  reasonableness  and  justice  of  the  latter  being  once 
established,  that  of  die  former,  iri  a  patriai'chal  government, 
followed  of  course ;  and  the  extent  of  the  po^^"er  delegated  to 
the  one  could  not  in  justice  be  withheld  from  die  other.  And 
for  the  better  allaying  of  any  scruples  that  might  be  supposed 
to  arise  in  men's  consciences,  it  was  easy  to  invent  any  piece 
of  sophistry  to  serve  by  way  of  justification  for  those  unnatUr 
ral  parents  \\^ho  might  feel  themselves  disposed,  pr  who  fi-orn 
want  might  be  induced,  to  part  with  their  childi'en  into  peq^e- 
tual  slavery.  A  son,  says  one  of  their  most  celebrated  kiWr 
givers,  after  the  death  of  his  father,  has  the  power  of  selling^ 


98  TRAVELS  IN'^  CHINA. 

his  services  for  a  day,  or  a  year,  or  for  life ;  but  a  father,  \AhiIe 
living,  has  unlimited  authority  o^er  his  son.  A  father  has, 
therefore,  the  same  ri|>-ht  of  selling  the  ser^'ices  of  his  son  to 
another,  for  any  length  of  time,  or  even  for  life. 

Daughters  may  be  said  to  be  invariably  sold.  The  bride- 
groom must  ah\a}s  make  his  bargain  with  the  pai'ents  of  his 
intended  bride.  The  latter  has  no  choice.  She  is  a  lot  in  the 
market,  to  be  disposed  of  to  the  highest  bidder.  The  man, 
indeed,  in  this  respect,  has  no  great  advantage  on  his  side,  as 
he  is  not  alloAved  to  see  his  intended  wife  until  she  arrives  in 
formal  procession  at  his  gate.  If,  however,  on  opening  the 
door  of  tlie  chah',  in  ^hich  the  lady  is  shut  up,  and  of  v.hich 
tlie  kc}-  has  been  sent  before,  he  should  dislike  his  bai'gain, 
he  can  return  her  to  her  parents ;  in  which  case  the  articles  are 
forfeited  that  constituted  her  price ;  and  a  sum  of  mone}^,  in 
addition  to  them,  may  be  dem.auded,  not  exceeding,  however, 
the  value  of  these  articles.  These  matrimonial  processions, 
attended  Vviih  pomp  and  music,  ai'e  not  unlike  those  used  by 
the  Greeks,  when  the  bride  was  conducted  to  her  husband's 
house  in  a  splendid  car ;  only,  in  the  former  instance,  the  lady 
is  completely  in^  isil^le  to  every  one. 

To  what  a  degraded  condition  is  a  female  reduced  by  this 
absurd  custom !  How  little  inducement,  it  would  be  suppos- 
ed, she  could  have  to  appear  amiable  or  elegant,  or  to  study 
her  dress,  or  cramip  her  feet,  or  paint  her  face,  knowing  she 
M  ill  be  consigned  into  the  hands  of  the  first  man  ^^ho  will  give 
the  price  that  her  piirents  have  fixed  upon  her  channs.  No 
previous  conversation  is  allowed  to  take  place,  no  exchange  of 
opinions  or  comparison  of  sentiments  with  regtird  to  inclina- 
tions or  dislikes ;  all  the  little  acts  of  attention  and  kindness, 
which  so  eloquently  speak  to  the  heart,  and  demonstrate  the 
sincerity  of  the  attachment,  are  utterly  unfelt.  In  a  word,  that 
state  of  tlie  human  heart,  occasioned  by  the  mutual  affection 
between  the  sexes,  and  from  •whence  proceed  the  happiest,  the 
most  interesting,  and  sometimes,  also,  the  most  distressing 
moments  of  life,  has  no  existence  in  China.  The  man  takes  a 
wife  because  the  bavs  of  the  country  direct  him  to  do  so,  and 
custom  has  made  it  indispensable ;  and  the  v\  oman,  after  mar- 
riage, continues  to  be  the  same  piece  of  inanimate  furniture 
she  always  was  in  her  father's  house.  She  suffers  no  indig- 
nity, nor  does  she  feel  any  jealousy  or  disturbance  (at  least  it 
is  prudent  not  to  shew  it)  -v^  hen  her  husband  brings  into  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  99 

same  house  a  second  or  a  tliird  woman.  The  first  is  con- 
tented ^\■ith  the  honour  of  presiding  over,  and  directing  the 
concerns  of,  the  family  \'i'ithin  doors,  and  in  heaiing  the  chil- 
di'en  of  tlie  others  calling  her  mother. 

It  might  be  urged,  perhaps,  on  the  part  of  the  husband,  that 
it  Mould  be  higlily  unreasonable  for  the  A\oman  to  complain. 
The  man  \\  ho  purchased  her  ought  to  have  an  equal  right  in 
the  same  manner  to  purchase  others.  The  case  is  materially 
different  where  parties  are  united  by  sentiments  of  love  and 
esteem,  or  bound  by  promises  or  engagements ;  under  such 
circumstances  the  introduction  of  a  second  wife,  under  the 
same  roof,  could  not  fail  to  distuib  the  harmon)^  of  the  famih', 
and  occasion  the  most  poignant  feelings  of  disti-ess  to  die  first. 
But  a  Chinese  ^vife  has  no  such  feelings,  nor  does  the  husband 
make  any  such  engagements. 

Although  polygamy  be  allowed  by  the  government,  as  in- 
deed it  could  not  ^vell  happen  other^\■ise,  where  women  are  ar- 
ticles of  purchase,  yet  it  is  an  evil  that,  in  a  great  degree,  cor- 
rects itself.  Nine-tenths  of  the  community  find  it  difiicult  to 
rear  die  offspring  of  one  ^voman  by  the  labour  of  tlicir  hands ; 
such,  therefore,  are  neither  in  circumstances,  nor  probably  feel 
much  inclination,  to  purchase  a  second.  Tlie  general  practice 
would,  besides,  be  moiTilly  impossible.  In  a  country  where  so 
many  female  infants  are  exposed,  and  where  the  laws  or  cus- 
toms oblige  every  man  to  miUTy,  any  person  taking  to  liimself 
two  ^vives  must  leave  some  other  A\ithout  one,  unless  indeed  it 
be  supposed,  Avith  the  author  of  L'Esprit  des  Loix,  Avhat  there 
seems  to  be  no  ground  for  supposing,  that  a  .much  greater 
number  of  females  are  bom  than  of  males.  But  all  the  obser- 
vations of  this  lively  and  ingenious  author,  with  regard  to 
China,  and  particuku'ly  tl^e  inferences  he  draws  with  respect 
to  climate,  fiUl  to  the  ground.  It  is  not  the  vigour  of  natui-al 
propensities,  as  is  supposed,  that  destrojs  the  moral  ones ;  it 
is  not  the  effect  of  climate  that  makes  it  to  be  considered 
among  these  people  "  as  a  prodigy  of  virtue  for  a  man  to 
meet  a  fine  woman,  in  a  retired  chamber,  without  offering 
violence  to  her," — it  is  the  effect  of  studiously  pampering  die 
appetite,  nurturing  vicious  notions,  considering  women  as  en- 
tirely subservient  to  the  pleasures  of  man ;  and,  in  short,  by 
fancying  those  pleasures  in  the  head,  rather  tlian  by  feeling 
them  in  the  heart,  that  ha\e  led  them  to  adopt  a  sentiment 
which  does  the  nation  so  litUe  credit.    The  climate  being 


100  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

even'^  i\'here  temperate,  and  the  diet  of  the  majority  of  the 
people  moderate,  I  might  say  scant}-,  these  have  little  influ- 
ence in  promoting  a  vehement  desire  for  sexual  intercourse. 
It  is,  indeed,  among  the  upper  ranks  only,  and  a  few  wealthy 
merchants  (wliom  the  sumptuaiy  laws,  prohibiting  fine  houses, 
gardens,  carriages,  and  every  kind  of  external  shew  and  gran- 
deur, have  encouraged  secretly  to  indulge  and  pamper  their 
appetite  in  every  species  of  luxury  and  voluptuousness),  where 
a  plurality  of  wives  is  to  be  found.  Every  great  officer  of 
state  has  his  haram,  consisting  of  six,  eight,  or  ten  women, 
according  to  his  circumstances  and  his  inclination  for  the  sex. 
Every  merchant  j  also,  of  Canton,  has  his  seraglio;  but  a  poor 
man  finds  One  '\\ife  quite  sufficient  for  all  his  wants,  and  the 
children  of  one  woman  as  many,  and  sometimes  more,  than 
he  is  able  to  support. 

The  unsociable  distance,  which  the  law  (or  custom,  stronger 
tlian  law )  prescribes  to  be  observed  between  the  sexes,  and 
the  cool  and  indifferent  manner  of  bai'gaining  for  a  wife,  ai"e 
not  calculated  to  produce  numerous  instances  of  criminal  in- 
tercourse. These,  however,  sometimes  happen,  and  the 
weight  of  punishment  always  falls  heaviest  on  the  woman.  The 
husband  finds  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  sentence  of  divorce, 
after  which  he  may  sell  her  for  a  slave,  and  thus  redeem  a 
part,  at  least,  of  his  purchase-money.  The  same  thing  hap- 
pens in  case  a  wife  should  elope ;  instances  of  which,  I  fancy, 
are  still  more  rare ;  as,  if  she  be  of  any  fashion,  her  feet  are  ill 
calculated  to  carry  her  off  Avith  speed;  and,  if  a  young  girl  should 
chance  to  lose  what  is  usually  held  to  be  the  most  valuable  part 
of  female  reputation,  she  is  sent  to  market  by  her  parents,  and 
publicly  sold  for  a  sla^e.  In  cases  of  mutual  dislike,  or  in- 
compatibility of  temper,  the  woman  is  generally  sent  back  to 
her  parents.  A  woman  can  inherit  no  property,  but  it  may  be 
left  to  her  by  will.  If  a  widow  has  no  cliildren,  or  females  only, 
the  property  descends  to  the  nearest  male  relation  on  the  de- 
ceased husband's  side,  but  he  must  maintain  tlie  daughters 
until  he  can  provide  them  with  husbands. 

The  prohibition  against  the  frequent  intercourse  with  modest 
females,  for  there  are  public  women  in  every  great  city,  is  not 
attended  here  with  the  effect  of  rendering  the  pursuit  more 
eager  ;  nor  does  it  increase  the  ardour,  as  among  the  ancient 
Spartans,  who  were  obliged  to  steal,  as  it  were,  the  embraces 
of  their  lawful  wives.     la  China  it  seems  to  have  the  contrary 


TRAVELS  m  CHIN'A.  lOi 

effect  of  promoting  tliat  sort  of  connexion  which,  being  one  of 
the  greatest  violations  of  the  laws  of  nature,  ought  to  be  consi- 
dered among  the  first  of  moral  crimes — a  connexion  tliat  sinks 
the  man  many  degrees  below  the  brute.  The  commission  of 
tliis  detestable  and  unnatural  act  is  attended  witli  so  litdc  sense 
of  shame,  or  feelings  of  delicacy,  that  many  of  the  first  officers 
of  state  seemed  to  make  no  hesitation  in  publicly  avowing  it. 
Each  of  these  officers  is  constantly  attended  by  his  pipe-bearer, 
\\dio  is  generally  a  handsome  boy,  from  fourteen  to  eiglitecii 
years  of  age,  and  is  always  well  dressed.  In  pointing  out  to 
our  notice  the  boys  of  each  odier,  they  made  use  of  signs  and 
motions,  the  meaning  of  which  ^vas  too  obvious  to  be  misinter- 
preted. The  t\\o  Mahomedans,  I  observe,  'vvho  A\ere  in  Cliina 
in  die  ninth  centuiy,  ha\'e  also  taken  notice  of  this  cucum- 
stance  :  and  1  find,  in  the  journal  of  Mr.  Hittner,  a  gentleman 
who  was  in  that  part  of  the  suite  who  accompanied  the  British 
embassador  into  Tartaiy,  in  speaking  of  die  palaces  of  Geliol, 
die  following  remark :  "Dans  I'un  de  ces  palais,  paniii  d'autres 
"  chefs-d'oeuvres  de  Tart,  on  voyait  deux  statues  de  gai'^ons, 
"  en  marbre,  d'un  excellent  travail ;  ils  avaient  les  pieds  et  les 
*'  mains  lifes,  et  leur  position  ne  laissait  point  de  doute  quele 
*'  vice  des  Greces  n'eat  perdu  son  horreur  pour  les  Chinois. 
*'  Un  vieil  eunuque  nous  les  lit  remarquer,  avec  un  sourire 
*'  impudent." 

It  has  been  remarked  that  diis  unnatural  crime  prevails  most 
in  those  countries  \Ahere  polygamy  is  alloA\ed,  that  is  to  sa}-, 
in  those  countries  where  the  affections  of  women  tu"e  not  con- 
sulted, but  their  persons  purchased  for  gold — a  remark  which 
may  lead  to  this  conclusion,  that  it  is  rather  a  monil  tuipitude 
than  a  projicnsity  aiising  from  physical  or  local  causes.  The 
appetite  for  female  intercourse  soon  becomes  glutted  by  the  fa- 
cility of  enjoyment;  and  where  women,  so  circumstanced,  can 
only  receive  the  embraces  of  their  proprietors  from  a  sense  of 
duty,  dieir  coldness  and  indifference,  the  necessary  conse- 
quence of  such  connections,  must  also  increase  in  the  men  the 
tendency  to  produce  satiet}-.  I  think  it  has  been  obsen^ed  diat, 
c\cn  in  Europe,  where  females  in  general  have  die  superior 
ad\antage  of  fixing  theu'  o^\ni  value  upon  themselvcSj  it  is  the 
greatest  rakes  and  debauchees  who, 

" ^bred  at  home,  in  idleness  and  riot, 

*•  Ransack  for  mistresses  th*  unwholesome  stew.*, 
"  An<  HCYW  ItfiQvr  the  worth  of  vift«ous  lore^" 


102  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

fiy  sometimes  in  search  of  fresh  enjoyment  in  tlie  detestable 
■vvay  here  alluded  to.* 

1  have  already  obser\ed  diat  the  state  of  domestic  society  in 
China  \\  as  ill  calculated  to  promote  the  affection  and  kindness 
■which  children  not  only  owe  to,  but  really  feel  for,  their  parents, 
in  many  countries  in  Europe.  A  tyrant,  in  fact,  to  command, 
and  a  sla\'e  to  obey,  ai'e  found  in  every  family  ;  for,  Avhere  the 
father  is  a  despot,  the  son  ^^'ill  naturally  be  a  slave  ;  and  if  all  the 
little  acts  of  kindness  and  silent  attentions,  that  create  mutual 
endearments,  be  \;  anting  among  the  members  of  the  same  fa- 
mily, living  under  the  same  roof,  it  w  ill  be  in  viiin  to  expect  to 
find  them  in  the  enlarged  sphere  of  public  life.  In  fact,  they 
have  no  kind  of  friendly  societies  nor  meetings  to  talk  over  the 
transactions  and  the  news  of  tlie  day.  These  can  only  take 
place  in  a  fi'ee  government.  A  Chinese  having  finished  his 
daily  emplojanent  retires  to  his  solitary  apartment.  There 
ai^e,  it  is  true,  a  sort  of  public  houses,  where  the  lower  orders  of 
people  sometimes  resort  for  their  cup  of  tea  or  of  seau-tchoo 
(a  kind  of  ardent  spirit  distilled  from  a  mixture  of  rice  and 
otlier  grain) ;  but  such  houses  are  seldom,  if  at  all,  frequent- 
ed for  the  sake  of  company.  They  are  no  incitement,  as 
tliose  ai'e,  of  a  similar  kind,  in  Europe,  to  jovial  pleasures  or 
to  vulgai'  ebriety.  From  tliis  odious  vice  the  bulk  of  the 
people  are  entirely  fi'ee.  Among  the  multitudes  which  we 
daily  saw,  in  passing  fi"om  one  extremity  of  the  country  to  the 
other,  I  do  not  recollect  having  ever  met  with  a  single  instance 
of  a  man  being  disguised  with  liquor.  In  Canton,  where  the 
lowar  orders  of  people  ai'e  employed  by  Europeans,  and  neces- 
sarily mix  with  European  seaman,  intoxication  is  not  unfre- 
quent  am^ong  the  nati-ves,  but  this  vic«?  forms  no  pait  of  die 
general  character  of  the  people.  Whenever  a  few  Chinese 
happen  to  meet  together,  it  is  generally  for  the  purpose  of 
gaming,  or  to  eat  a  kettle  of  boiled  rice,  or  drink  a  pot  of  tea, 
or  smoke  a  pipe  of  tobacco. 

The  upper  ranks  indulge  at  home  in  tiie  use  of  opium. 
Great  qucuitities  of  this  intoxicating  drug  are  smuggled  into 
the  countrj^,  notwitlistanding  all  the  precautions  taken  by  the 

•  I  should  not  have  taken  notice  of  this  odious  vice,  had  nottlie  truth  ofits  exist- 
ence in  China  been  doubted  by  some,  and  attributed  by  others  to  awi-ong  cause. 
Pr;)fessing'  to  describe  the  people  as  I  found  them,  I  must  endeavour  to  draw  a 
faithfid  picture,  neither  attempting  to  palliate  their  vices,  nor  to  exaggerate  their 
virtues. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  tOS 

government  to  prohibit  the  importation  of  it ;  but  it  is  too  ex- 
pensive to  be  used  by  the  common  people.  The  officers  of 
the  customs  are  not  beyond  a  bribe.  After  receiving  the  sum 
agreed  upon  between  the  importer  and  themsehes,  they  fre- 
quently become  the  purchasers  of  the  prohibited  article.  Most 
of  tlie  country-  ships  from  Bengal  caiT}'  opium  to  China  ;  but 
that  of  Turkey,  sent  from  London  in  the  Chhia  ships,  is  pre- 
ferred, and  sells  at  near  double  the  price  of  the  other.  The 
governor  of  Cimton,  after  describing  in  one  of  his  late  procla- 
mations on  the  subject  the  pemicious  and  fatal  effects  ai"ising 
from  the  use  of  opium,  observes,  "  Thus  it  is  that  foreigners, 
"  by  the  means  of  a  vile  excrementitious  substance,  derive 
"  from  this  empire  the  most  solid  profits  and  adviuitages;  but 
"  that  our  countiymen  should  blindly  pursue  this  destructive 
*'  andensnaringvice,  even  till  death  is  the  consequence,  without 
"  being  undeceived,  is  indeed  a  fact  odious  and  deplorai;Ie  in 
"  the  highest  degree."  Yet  the  go\eniorof  Canton  veiy  com- 
posedly takes  his  daih'  dose  of  opium. 

The  young  j^eople  have  no  occasional  assemblies  for  the 
purpose  of  dancing  and  of  exercising  themselves  in  feats  of 
activity  which,  in  Kiu'ope,  are  attended  ^vith  the  happ}-  effects 
of  shaking  off  the  gloom  and  melancholy  that  a  life  of  constant 
labour  or  seclusion  from  society  is  apt  to  promote.  They 
have  not  even  a  fixed  day  of  rest  set  apart  for  religious  \\or- 
ship.  Their  acts  of  de\otion  partake  of  the  same  solitar}-  cast 
that  prevails  in  their  domestic  life.  In  none  of  the'  different 
sects  of  religion,  which  at  various  times  have  been  imported 
into  and  adapted  in  China,  has  congregntional  worship  been 
inculcated,  which,  to  that  countiy  hi  p'c"d1:icular,  ma}'  be  con- 
sidered as  a  great  misfortune.  For,  independent  of  religious 
considerations,  the  sabbatical  institution  is  attended  with  ad- 
vantages of  a  physical  as  well  as  of  a  moral  nature ;  and  huma- 
nity is  not  less  concerned  than  policy  in  consecrating  one  day 
out  of  seven,  or  some  other  given  number,  to  the  service  of  the 
great  Creator,  and  to  rest  from  bodil}^  labour.  W^hen  the  go- 
vernment of  France,  in  the  height  of  her  rage  for  inno\'ation, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  atlieistical  demagogues,  when  her  temples 
were  polluted,  and  cveiy  thing  sacred  was  invaded  and  pro- 
faned, the  seventh  day  was  considered  as  a  relic  of  ancient  su- 
perstition, and  the  observmice  of  it  accordingly  abolished ;  and, 
about  the  same  time,  it  became  the  fashion  among  a  certain  de- 
scription of  people  to  use  specious  arguments  against  its  con- 


104  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

tiniiance  in  our  own  countr}- ;  as  l^eing,  for  example,  a  day  for 
the  encouragement  of  idleness,  drunkenness,  and  dissipation. 
Such  a  remark  could  only  be  applied  to  large  cities  and  towns; 
and  in  crowded  manufacturing  towns  the  mechanic,  M'ho  can 
subsist  by  working  three  days  in  the  week,  would  be  at  no  loss 
in  finding  opportunities,  were  there  no  sabbath  day,  in  the 
course  of  the  other  four,  to  commit  irregularities.  And  who, 
even  for  the  sake  of  the  meclianic  and  artificer,  would  wish  to 
see  the  labouring  peasant  deprived  of  one  day's  rest,  out  of 
seven,  which  to  liim  is  more  precious  than  the  wages  he  has 
hardly  earned  the  other  six  ?  Wliat  man,  possessed  of  common 
feelings  of  humanity,  in  beholding  tlie  decent  and  modest  hus- 
bandman, accompanied  by  his  family,  in  tiieir  best  attii-e,  at- 
tending the  parish  church,  does  not  paiticipate  in  the  smile  of 
content  which  on  diis  day  particularly  beams  on  liis  counte- 
nance, and  bespeaks  the  serenity  of  his  mind  ?  Having  on  this 
day  discharged  his  duty  to  God,  refreshed  his  body  with  rest, 
enjoyed  the  comfort  of  clean  clothing,  and  exercised  his  mind 
in  con\-ersing  with  his  neighbours,  he  returns  with  double 
vigour  to  his  daily  labour ;  having,  as  Mr.  Addison  observes. 
in  one  of  his  Spectators,  rubbed  oif  the  rust  of  the  week. 

Tlie  first  of  the  new  year  in  China,  and  a  few  succeeding 
days,  are  the  only  holidays,  properly  speaking,  that  are  observ- 
ed by  the  working  pait  of  the  community.  On  these  days 
the  poorest  peasant  makes  a  point  of  procuring  new  clothing 
for  himself  and  his  family ;  they  pay  their  visits  to  friends  and 
relations,  interchange  ci\dlities  and  compliments,  make  and  re- 
ceive presents ;  and  the  officers  of  government  and  die  higher 
ranks  give  feasts  and  entertainments.  But  even  in  those  feasts 
there  is  nothing  that  bears  the  resemblance  of  conviviality. 
The  guests  nevev  paitake  together  of  the  same  sendee  of  dish- 
es, but  each  lias  frequently  his  separate  table ;  sometimes  two, 
but  never  more  than  four,  sit  at  the  same  table ;  and  their  eyes 
must  constantly  be  kept  upon  the  master  of  tlie  feast,  to  watch 
all  his  motions,  and  to  observe  every  morsel  he  puts  into  his 
mouth,  and  every  time  he  lifts  the  cup  to  his  lips;  for  a  Chi- 
nese of  good-breeding  can  neither  eat  nor  drink  witiiout  a  par- 
ticular ceremony,  to  which  the  guests  must  pay  attention.  If 
a  person  invited  should,  from  sickness  or  any  accident,  be  pre,  , 
vented  firom  fulfilling  his  engagement,  the  portion  of  the  din- 
ner that  was  intended  to  be  placed  on  his  table  is  sent  in  pra^ 
cession  to  his  own  house ;  a  custom  that  strongly  points  out 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  105 

the  very  little  notion  tliey  entertain  of  the  social  pleasures  of 
tlie  table.  It  is  customary  to  send  after  each  guest  the  re- 
mains even  of  his  dinner.  Whenever,  in  the  course  of  our 
journey,  we  visited  a  governor  or  >'iceroy  of  a  pro\  ince,  we  ge- 
nerall}'  found  him  at  the  head  of  a  range  of  tables,  covered  with 
a  multitude  of  dishes,  which  invariably  ^^•cre  miu'ched  after  us 
to  the  yachts.  Martial,  if  I  mistake  not,  has  some  allusion  to  a 
similar  custom  among  the  Romans.  Each  carried  his  own  nap- 
kin to  a  feast ;  which,  being  filled  with  the  remiiins  of  the  enter- 
tainment, was  sent  home  by  a  slave ;  but  this  appears  to  have 
been  done  more  out  of  compliment  to  the  host,  to  shew  the 
great  esteem  in  a\  hich  the}-  held  his  cheer,  than  for  the  sake  of 
tlie  viands ;  for  die  Romans  lo\  ed  con\  i^  iality. 

The  Chinese  also,  like  die  ancient  Egjptians,  as  exemplified 
in  the  enormous  mess  which  Joseph  gave  to  little  Benjamin 
above  the  rest  of  his  brothers,  testily,  on  all  occasions,  that  they 
consider  the  measure  of  a  man's  stomach  to  depend  more  upon 
the  i-ank  of  its  owner  than  either  his  bulk  or  appetite.  The  em- 
bassador's allowance  was  at  least  five  times  as  great  as  that  of 
any  person  in  his  suite.  In  diis  particular,  howe\'er,  these  na- 
tions are  not  singular,  neither  in  ancient  nor  in  modern  times. 
The  kings  of  Sparta,  and  indeed  every  Grecian  hero,  were  al- 
ways supposed  to  eat  twice  the  quantity  of  a  common  soldier ; 
and  the  only  difference  ^^•ith  regaid  to  our  heroes  of  the  present 
day  consists  in  their  being  enabled  to  con^'ert  quantity  into  qua- 
lity, an  advantage  for  ^^'hich  the}-  ai*e  not  a  litde  indebted  to  the 
invention  of  money,  into  \\hich  all  other  aiticles  can  be  com- 
muted. 

W'liatever  may  be  die  occasion  of  bringing  together  a  few 
idlers,  they  seldom  part  \\ithout  trying  their  luck  at  some  game 
of  chance,  for  ^^  hich  a  Chinese  is  never  unprepared.  He  rai'ely 
goes  abroad  \\ithout  a  pack  of  cards  in  his  pocket,  or  a  pair  of 
dice.  Both  of  these,  like  almost  every  tiling  else  in  the  country, 
are  dift'erent  from  simiUir  aiticles  elsewhere.  Their  cards  are 
much  more  numerous  than  ours,  and  their  games  much  more 
complicated.  Nor  are  they  at  any  loss,  even  if  none  of  the  par- 
ty should  liappen  to  be  funiished  ^\ith  cards  or  dice ;  on  such 
an  em.ergency  their  fingers  are  employed  to  answer  the  pui-pose, 
which  are  all  that  is  required  to  play  the  game  ofTsoi-Moi,  a 
game  of  w  hich  die  lower  class  of  people  are  particulaiiy  fond. 
Two  persons,  sitting  directly  opposite  to  each  other,  raise  their 
hands  at  the  same  moment,  when  each  calls  out  die  number  he 

o 


106  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

guesses  to  be  die  sum  of  the  fingers  expanded  by  himself  and 
his  adversary.  The  closed  fist  is  none,  the  thumb  one,  the 
thumb  and  forefinger  two,  &:c.  so  that  the  chances  lie  between 

0  and  5,  as  each  must  kno^v  the  number  held  out  by  liimself. 
The  middling  class  of  people  likewise  play  at  this  game,  when 
the}'  gi\  e  enteitainments  \\  here  wine  is  served,  and  tlie  loser  is 
alwa}  s  obliged  to  drink  off  a  cup  of  wine.  At  this  childish 
game  tA\  o  persons  ^\'ill  sometimes  play  to  a  veiy  late  hour,  till 
he  'w  ho  has  had  tlie  worst  of  die  game  has  been  obliged  to  drink 
so  much  ^vine  that  he  can  no  longer  see  either  to  count  his  own 
or  his  ad\ersar\ 's  fingers.  I  have  thus  paiticularly  noticed  the 
Chinese  Tsoi-moi,  on  account  of  the  extraordinaiy  coincidence 
between  it  and  a  game  in  use  among  the  Romans,  to  which 
frequen  tallusion  is  made  by  Cicero.  In  a  note  by  Melanchton, 
on  Cicero's  Offices,  it  is  thus  described :  "  Micare  digitis, 
"  ludi  genus  est.  Sic  ludentes,  simul  digitos  alterius  manus 
*'  quot  volunt  citissime  erigunt,  et  simul  ambo  divinant  quot 
' '  simul  erecti  sint ;  quod  qui  definivit,  lucratus  est :  unde  acri 
*'  visu  opus,  et  multa  fide,  ut  cum  aliquo  in  tenebris  mices," 
*'  Micare  digitis,  is  a  kind  of  game.  Those  who  play  at  it 
"  stretch  out  with  great  quickness,  as  many  fingers  of  one  hand 
"  each,  as  they  please,  and  at  the  same  instant  both  guess  how 
"  many  are  held  up  by  the  two  together ;  and  he  who  guesses 
*'  right  wins  the  game  :  hence  a  sharp  sight  is  necessar}'',  and 
*'  also  great  confidence,  when  it  is  played  in  the  dark." 

The  Chinese  have  certainly  the  acer  visus,  but  I  doubt  much 
whether  they  have  faith  enough  in  each  other's  integrity  to  play 
at  the  game  of  fingers  in  the  dark,  which,  in  the  opinion  of  Ci- 
cero, A\  as  a  strong  test  of  a  truly  honest  man.  The  same  game 
is  said  to  be  still  plajed  in  Italy,  under  the  name  of  morra.* 

The  officers  about  Yuen-min-yuen  used  to  play  a  kind  of 
chess,  ^\'liicli  appeai'ed  to  me  to  be  essentially  different  from 
that  game  as  played  by  the  Persians,  the  Indians,  and  other 
Oriental  nations,  both  widi  regard  to  the  lines  drawn  on  the 
board,  the  form  of  the  chess-men,  and  the  moves,  from  which 

1  should  rather  conclude  it  to  be  a  game  of  their  omu  invention, 
than  an  introduction  either  from  India  or  by  the  army  of  Gen- 
gis-khan,  as  some  authors  have  conjectured. 

The  spirit  of  gaming  is  so  universal,  in  most  of  the  towns 
and  cities,  that,  in  almost  every  by-corner,  groupes  are  to  be 

*  Adams's  Roman  Antiquities. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  lor 

found  playing  at  cards  or  throwing  dice.    They  ai'e  accused 
even  of  frequently  staking  their  wives  and  children  on  tlie  ha- 
zard of  a  die.     It  may  easily  be  concei\ed  that  \\ here  a  man 
can  sell  his  children  into  slaver}',  there  can  be  little  remorse, 
in  tlie  breast  of  a  g-amester  reduced  to  his  last  stake,  to  risk 
the  loss  of  what  the  law  has  sanctioned  him  to  dispose  of. 
Yet  we  are  very  gmxely  assured  b}'  some  of  the  reverend  mis^ 
sionaries,  that  "the  Chinese  are  entirely  ignorant  of  all  games 
*'  of  chance  ;"  that  "  they  can  enjoy  no  amusements  but  such 
*'  as  are  authorized  by  the  laws."     These  gentlemen  surely 
should  not  be  ignorant  diat  one  of  their  most  la\-ourite  sports  is 
cock-fighting,  and  that  this  cnicl  and  unmanly  amusement, 
as  they  are  pleased  to  consider  it,  is  full  as  eagerly  pursued  by 
the  upper  classes  in  China  as,  to  their  shame  and  disgrace  be 
it  spoken,  it  continues  to  be  by  those  in  a  similar  situation  in 
some  parts  of  Europe.     The  training  of  quails  for  the  same 
cniel  purjDose  of  butchering  each  other  furnishes  abundance  of 
employment  for  the  idle  and  dissipated.     They  ha\e  e^en  ex- 
tended dieir  enquiries  alter  fighting-animals  into  the  insect 
tribe,  in  which  they  have  disco\'ered  a  species  of  gnllus,  or 
locust,  that  will  attack  each  other  \\ith  such  ferocity  as  seldom 
to  quit  their  hold  ^vithout  bringing  away  at  the  same  time  a 
limb  of  their  antagonist.     These  little  creatures  are  fed  and 
kept  apart  in  bamboo  cages ;  and  the  custom  of  making  them 
devour  each  other  is  so  common  that,  during  the  summer 
months,  scarcely  a  boy  is  seen  without  his  cage  and  his  gi'ass- 
hoppers. 

I  ha\e  already  had  occasion  to  observe diat  the  natural  dis, 
position  of  the  Chinese  should  seem  to  have  suffered  almost 
a  total  change  by  the  influence  of  the  laws  and  maxims  of 
government ;  an  influence  which,  in  this  countrj'^  more  dian 
elsewhere,  has  gi\'en  a  bias  to  the  manners,  sentiments,  and 
moral  character  of  the  people ;  for  here  eveiy  ancient  proverb 
carries  ^^•ith  it  die  force  of  a  law.  While  the)-  are  by  nature 
quiet,  passive,  and  timid,  the  state  of  society,  and  the  abuse 
of  the  la^vs  by  which  they  iu-e  go^'^emed,  have  rendered  them 
indiflferent,  unfeeling,  and  even  cruel,  as  a  few  examples, 
which  among  manv  others  occuiTcd,  will  but  too  clearly  bear 
evidence  ;  and  as  the  particular  instances,  from  which  I  have 
sometimes  dra\\Ti  an  inference,  accorded  A\ith  the  common 
actions  and  occuiTcnces  of  life,  I  have  not  hesitated  to  consider 
them  as  so  many  general  features  in  thcii-  moriU  character ;  at 


108  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

the  same  time  I  am  aware  that  allowances  ought  to  be  made 
for  particular  AA^ys  of  thinking,  and  for  customs  entiiely  dis- 
similar from  our  oaah,  ^vhich  ai'e,  therefore,  not  exacth  to  be 
appreciated  b}-  the  same  rule  as  if  they  had  occurred  in  our 
own  country.  The  public  feasts  of  Sparta,  in  which  the  girls 
danced  na];ed  in  piesence  of  young  men,  liad  not  the  same 
effect  on  the  Lacedaemonian  youth,  as  they  might  be  supposed 
to  produce  in  Europe ;  nor  is  the  delicacy  of  the  Hindoo 
^vomen  offended  by  looking  on  the  Lingam.  Thus  die  Chi- 
nese are  entitled  to  our  indulgence  by  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances under  which  they  are  placed ;  but  I  lea\'e  it  in  tlie 
breast  of  tlie  reader  to  make  A^hat  allo^vance  he  may  tliink  they 
desene. 

The  common  practice  of  flogging  with  the  bamboo  has  ge- 
nerally been  considered  by  the  missionaries  in  die  h^ht  of  a 
gentle  coiTcction,  exercised  by  men  in  power  over  their  infe- 
riors, just  as  a  father  would  chastise  his  son,  but  not  as  apunish- 
ment  to  which  disgrace  is  attached.  HowcA'er  lightly  these 
gentlen^^n  may  chuse  to  treat  this  humiliating  chastisement,  to 
A\  hich  all  are  liable,  from  the  prime  minister  to  the  peasant,  it 
is  but  too  often  inflicted  in  the  anger  and  by  the  caprice  of  a 
man  in  office,  and  frequently  with  circumstances  of  unwarrant- 
able cruelty  and  injustice.  Of  the  truth  of  this  remai'k  we  had 
sevei-al  instances.  In  our  return  do^xn  the  Pei-ho,  the  water 
iDcing  considerably  shallower  than  when  we  first  sailed  up  this 
river,  one  of  our  accommodation  bai"ges  got  aground  in  the 
middle  of  the  nigb.t.  The  air  was  piercingly  cold,  and  the  poor 
creatures  belonging  to  the  vessel  were  busy  until  sun-rise  in 
the  midst  of  the  river  using  their  endeavours  to  get  her  off. 
The  rest  of  the  fleet  had  proceeded,  and  the  patience  of  the  su- 
perintending officer  at  length  being  exhausted,  he  ordered  his 
soldiers  to  flog  the  captain  and  the  whole  crew ;  which  was 
accordingly  done,  in  a  most  unmerciful  manner  :  and  this  was 
their  onl}^  reuai'd  for  the  use  of  the  yacht,  their  time  and 
labour,  for  tvro  da}-s.  The  instance  of  degrading  an  officer 
and  flogging  all  his  people,  because  the  meat  brought  for  our 
use  Avas  a  little  tainted  when  the  temperature  was  at  88°  in 
the  shade,  I  ha^e  alre^idy  had  occasion  to  notice. 

^\  henever  the  v, ind  A\as  contrar}',  or  it  was  found  necessar}^ 
to  track  the  \'esscls  against  the  stream,  a  number  of  men  were 
employed  for  tliis  purpose.  The  poor  creatures  were  always 
pressed  into  this  disagreeable  and  laborious  service,  for  whiph 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  109 

tliey  were  to  recei\^e  about  six-pence  a  da}',  so  long  as  they 
tracked,  without  any  allowance  being  made  to  them  tor  return- 
ing to  the  place  from  whence  they  ^^•ere  forced.  These  people, 
knowing  the  difficulty  there  was  of  getting  others  to  supply 
their  places,  and  that  their  services  ^^■ould  be  required  until 
such  should  be  procured,  generally  deserted  by  night,  disre- 
garding their  pay.  In  order  to  procure  others,  the  officers  dis- 
patched their  soldiers  to  tlie  nearest  village,  taking  the  inhabit- 
ants by  surprise,  and  forcing  them  out  of  their  beds,  to  join 
the  yachts.  Scarcely  a  night  occurred  in  ^\■hich  some  poor 
wretches  did  not  suffer  the  lashes  of  the  soldiers  for  attempting 
to  escape,  or  for  pleading  the  excuse  of  old  age,  or  infirmity. 
It  was  painful  to  behold  the  deplorable  condition  of  some  of 
tliese  creatures.  Se^'eral  A\cre  half  naked,  and  appeared  to  be 
wasting  and  languishing  for  want  of  food.  Yet,  the  task  of 
dragging  along  the  vessels  was  fai'  from  being  light.  Some- 
times they  were  under  the  necessit}^  of  evading  to  the  middle 
in  mud ;  sometimes  to  swim  across  creeks,  and  immediately 
afterwai'ds  to  expose  their  naked  bodies  to  a  scorching  sun  ; 
and  tliey  Vvcre  always  driven  by  a  soldier,  or  the  lictor  of  some 
pett}'  police  officer,  carrying  in  his  hand  an  enormous  Avhip, 
witli  A\^hich  he  lashed  them,  ^vith  as  little  reluctance  as  if  they 
had  been  a  team  of  horses. 

The  Dutch  embassy  proceeded  by  land  to  the  capital,  in  the 
middle  of  winter,  when  the  rivers  and  canals  were  frozen.  The 
thennometer  \vas  frequently  from  8  to  16  degrees  below  the 
freezing  point,  and  the  fiice  of  die  country  ^vas  mosdy  co\ered 
with  ice  and  snow ;  yet  they  were  often  under  the  necessity  of 
travelling  all  night ;  and  the  peasantr}',  who  were  pressed  to 
cany  the  presents  and  their  baggage,  notwithstanding  their 
heavy  loads,  Ax^ere  obliged  to  keep  up  \\  ith  them  as  long  as  they 
could.  In  the  course  of  t\Ao  nights,  Mr.  Van  Braam  observes, 
not  less  than  eight  of  these  poor  wretches  actually  expired  un- 
der their  burdens,  through  cold,  hunger,  fatigue,  and  the  cruel 
treatment  of  their  di'ivers. 

It  had  been  the  practice  of  some  of  the  gentlemen  of  the 
British  embass}*,  in  their  return  through  the  countrj-,  to  walk 
during  a  part  of  the  day,  and  to  join  the  barges  towards  the 
hour  of  dinner.  One  day  an  officer  of  high  rank  took  it  into 
liis  head  to  interrupt  them  in  their  usual  walk  ;  and  for  this 
purpose  dispatched  after  them  nine  or  ten  of  his  soldiers,  who 
forced  thein  in  a  rude  manner  to  return  to  the  vessels.     Our 


no  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

tivo  conductors,  Van  and  Choii,  coming  up  at  tlie  time,  and 
being  made  acquainted  \\ith  the  circumstance,  gave  to  each  of 
the  soldiers  a  most  severe  flogging.  One  of  these,  ^\'ho  had 
been  particularly  insolent,  had  his  ears  bored  through  with 
ii'on  wire,  and  his  hands  bound  to  them  for  several  days.  The 
vicerov  of  Canton  was  at  this  time  with  the  embassy,  and  be- 
ing in  rank  superior  to  the  offending  officer,  he  ordered  the 
latter  to  appear  before  Mm,  gave  him  a  severe  reprimand,  and 
sentenced  him  to  recei\e  forty  strokes  of  the  bamboo,  as  a 
e;entle  coiTCction.  Our  two  Chinese  fiiends  were  particularly 
pressing  that  the  gentlemen  insulted  should  be  present  at  the 
punishment  of  the  officer,  and  it  was  not  without  difficulty 
they  could  be  persuaded  that  such  a  scene  would  not  afford 
them  any  gratification.  It  happened  also,  in  the  Dutch  em- 
bassy, that  an  inferior  officer  -was  flogged  and  disgi-aced  by 
their  conductors,  for  not  having  in  readiness  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  coolies,  or  porters,  to  proceed  with  the  baggage,  and  to 
carry  the  sedan  chairs  in  which  they  tra^^elled. 

The  t}Tanny  that  men  in  office  exercise  over  the  multitude, 
and  each  other,  is  perfectly  agreeable  to  tlie  systematic  subor- 
dination which  the  h\v  has  sanctioned.  But  as  authority  is  a 
dai-igerous  deposit  in  the  hands  of  the  wisest,  and  leads  some- 
times the  most  wary  to 

•f  Play  such  fantastic  tricks,  before  high  heaven, 
••  As  jnake  the  angels  weep." 

what  must  the  effects  of  it  be  when  vested  in  an  illiterate  Chi- 
nese, or  rude  Tartar,  who  has  no  other  talent  or  recommenda- 
tion for  Ins  authority  than  the  power  alone  which  his  office 
allows  him  to  exercise  ? 

Several  instances,  however,  occurred  in  the  course  of  our 
journey  through  the  country,  which  seemed  to  mark  the  same 
unfeeling  and  iiard-hcarted  disposition  to  exist  between  persons 
of  cquiil  condition  in  life,  as  in  men  in  office  over  their  infe- 
riors. One  of  these  afforded  an  extraordinary  trait  of  inhu- 
manit}-.  A  poor  fellow  at  Macao,  in  the  employ  of  the  British 
f  ictoiy  there,  fell  by  accident  from  a  wall,  and  pitched  upon 
his  skull.  His  companions  took  him  up  with  very  little  ap- 
pearance of  life,  and,  in  this  state,  were  carrjang  him  a^vay,  to- 
wards the  skirts  of  the  town,  where  they  were  met  by  one  of 
the  medical  gentlemen  belonging  to  the  embassy.  He  inter- 
rogated them,  ^^hat  they  meant  to  do  with  the  unfortunate 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  ill 

Tnim,  and  was  ver\^  coolly  answered,  they  were  going  to  bur\- 
him.  Having  expressed  his  astonishment  that  they  should 
think  of  putting  a  man  into  the  gra\e  before  the  breath  was 
out  of  liis  bod}-,  they  rephed  that  tliey  were  of  opinion  he  nexev 
could  recover,  aiul  that  if  they  carried  him  home  he  would  only 
be  a  trouble  and  expense  to  his  friends,  so  long  as  he  remain- 
ed in  a  situation  which  rendered  liim  unable  to  assist  himself. 
The  man,  however,  by  the  humanity  and  attention  of  Doctor 
Scott,  was  restored  again  to  his  famih',  and  to  those  friends 
who  knew  so  weW  to  appreciate  the  value  of  his  life. 

The  doctor,  however,  v\'as  not  awai-e  of  the  risk  he  ran  in 
thus  exercising  his  humanit}",  as,  by  a  law  of  the  countr}\ 
which  appears  to  us  extraordinaiy,  if  a  wounded  man  be  taken 
into  the  protection  and  chai^ge  of  any  person,  \\ith  a  xiew  to 
effect  his  recoveiy,  and  he  should  happen  to  die  under  his 
hands,  the  person,  into  \\hose  care  he  ^vas  last  taken,  is  liable 
to  be  punished  with  dcatJi,  unless  he  can  produce  undeniable 
evidence  to  prove  how  the  wound  was  made,  or  that  he  sur- 
vived it  forty  da}s.  The  consequence  of  such  a  law  is,  that  if 
a  person  should  happen  to  be  mortLill}-  wounded  in  an  afti-a\% 
he  is  suffered  to  die  in  tlie  streets,  from  the  feai'  (should  anv 
one  take  charge  of  him)  of  being  made  responsible  for  his  life. 

A  sti'iking  instance  of  the  fatal  effects  of  such  a  la^\■  happen- 
ed at  Canton  latel}'.  A  fire  broke  out  in  the  suburbs,  and  three 
Chinese,  in  assisting  to  extinguish  it,  had  their  limbs  fi-actur- 
ed,  and  were  otherwise  dreadfully  wounded  by  the  falling  of  a 
wall.  The  surgeon  of  the  English  flictor}-,  with  i\ll  the  alacrity 
to  administer  relief  to  suffering  humanity  which  characterizes 
the  profession  in  Britam,  directed  them  to  be  carried  to  the  fac- 
tor)-, and  A\as  preparing  to  perform  amputation,  as  the  onl}-  pos- 
sible means  of  saving  their  hves,  when  one  of  the  Hong  merchants, 
ha\ing  heard  what  was  going  on,  ran  with  great  haste  to  the 
place,  and  entreated  the  surgeon  by  no  means  to  think  of  per- 
forming any  operation  upon  tliem,  but  rather  to  suffer  them  to 
be  taken  away  from  the  factor}-  as  speedily  as  possible ;  adding, 
that,  however  good  his  intentions  might  be,  if  any  one  of  the 
patients  should  die  under  his  hands,  he  would  ine\  itably  be 
tried  for  murder,  and  the  most  mitigated  punishment  would 
be  that  of  banishment  for  life  into  the  wilds  of  Tartan'.  The 
wounded  Chinese  were  accordingly  removed  privately,  aiid, 
«o  doubt,  abandoned  to  tlicir  fate. ' 


112  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

The  operation  of  such  a  barbarous  law  (for  so  it  appears  to 
us)  will  serve  to  explain  tlie  conduct  of  the  Chinese  in  the  fol- 
Io\\"ing  instance.  In  the  course  of  our  journey  down  the  grand 
canal,  we  had  occasion  to  witness  a  scene  which  was  consider- 
ed as  a  remarkable  example  of  a  want  of  fellow-feeling.  Of 
the  number  of  persons,  \A-ho  had  crowded  down  to  the  banks 
of  the  canal,  several  had  posted  themselves  upon  the  liigh  pro- 
jecting stern  of  an  old  vessel  which,  unfortunately,  breaking 
down  with  die  weight,  the  whole  groupe  tumbled  with  the 
wTCck  into  the  canal,  just  at  the  moment  when  the  yachts  of 
the  embassy  ^vere  passing.  Aldiough  numbers  of  boats  were 
sailing  about  the  place,  none  were  perceived  to  go  to  the  assist- 
ance of  diose  that  were  struggling  in  the  water.  They  even 
seemed  not  to  kno^v  that  such  an  accident  had  liappened ;  nor 
could  the  shrieks  of  the  boys,  floating  on  pieces  of  the  "vvi-eck, 
attract  their  attention.  One  fellow  was  observed  very  busily 
employed  in  picking  up,  with  liis  boat-hook,  the  hat  of  a 
drowning  man.  It  was  in  vain  ^ve  endeavoured  to  prevail  on 
tlie  people  of  our  vessel  to  heave  to,  and  send  the  boat  to  their 
assistance.  It  is  true,  \ve  were  then  going  at  the  rate  of  seven 
miles  an  hour,  which  was  the  plea  they  made  for  not  stopping. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  several  of  these  unfortunate  people  inevita- 
bly perished. 

Being  thus  insensible  to  the  sufferings  of  their  companions 
and  countrj-men,  little  compassion  is  to  be  expected  from  them 
towards  strangers.  From  a  manuscript  journal,  kept  by  a  gen- 
tleman in  the  suite  of  the  Dutch  embassador,  it  appears  that, 
on  their  route  to  the  capital,  the  \\Titer  felt  an  inclination  to  try 
his  skaits  on  a  sheet  of  ice  that  they  passed  by  the  road-side ; 
he  was  also  urged  to  it  by  the  conducting  officers.  Having  pro- 
ceeded to  some  distance  from  the  shore,  the  ice  ga\e  wa}^,  and 
he  fell  in  up  to  the  neck.  The  Chinese,  instead  of  rendering 
him  any  assistance,  in  the  absence  of  liis  own  countr}^men,  who 
had  gone  forwards,  i^an  away  laughing  at  this  accident,  and  left 
him  to  scramble  out  as  well  as  he  could,  which  was  not  effected 
"without  very  great  difficulty. 

But,  if  further  proofs  ^\•ere  A^'antingto  establish  tlie  insensible 
and  incompassionate  character  of  the  Chinese,  the  horrid  practice 
of  inflmticide,  tolerated  by  custom  and  encouraged  by  the  go- 
vernment, can  leave  no  doubt  on  this  subject. — I  venture  to 
say  encouraged,  because  where  tlie  legislature  does  not  inter- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  113 

fere  to  prevent  crimes,  it  certainly  may  be  said  to  lend  them  its 
countenance.  No  law,  ho\\  ever,  allows  (as  I  obscrA  e  it  no- 
ticed by  a  modem  author  of  reputation)  a  Hitherto  expose  all 
the  daughters,  and  tiie  third  son.  I  bclie^'e  the  laws  of  China 
do  not  suppose  such  an  unnatural  crime  to  exist,  and  ha\e 
therefore  provided  no  punishment  for  it.  It  is  true,  tliey  ha\'e 
left  a  child  to  the  entire  disposal  of  the  father,  concluding,  per- 
haps, that  if  his  feelings  will  not  prevent  him  from  doing  it  an 
injur}',  no  other  consideration  ^^•ill.  Thus,  tliough  tlie  com- 
mission of  infanticide  be  frequent  in  China,  it  is  considered  as 
more  prudent  to  wink  at  it  as  an  inevitable  e^•il,  ^vhich  natural 
affection  will  better  correct  than  penal  statutes;  an  evil,  that, 
on  the  other  hand,  if  publicly  tolerated,  would  directly  contra- 
dict the  gi-and  principle  of  filial  piety,  upon  ^^•hich  their  system 
of  obedience  rests,  and  tlieir  patiiarchal  form  of  go^'ernmcnt  is 
founded. 

It  is,  however,  tacitly  considered  as  a  part  of  the  dutv  of  the 
police  of  Pekin  to  employ  certain  persons  to  go  their  rounds, 
at  an  em-ly  hour  in  the  morning,  with  caits,  in  order  to  pick  uj) 
such  bodies  of  infants  as  may  have  been  thrown  out  into  the 
streets  in  the  course  of  the  night.  No  inquiries  are  made ;  but 
the  bodies  are  oirried  to  a  common  pit,  without  the  city  \\'alls, 
into  which  all  those  that  may  be  li\  ing,  as  v\ell  as  those  tliat  are 
dead,  are  said  to  be  thro\\  n  promiscuously.  At  this  horrible 
pit  of  destruction  the  Roman  Catholic  missionaries,  established 
in  Pekin,  attend  by  tums,  as  a  part  of  the  duties  of  their  office, 
in  order,  as  one  of  them  expressed  himself  to  me  on  this  sub- 
ject, to  chuse  among  them  those  that  are  the  most  li\ely,  to 
make  future  proselytes,  and,  by  the  administi^ation  of  baptism, 
to  such  of  the  rest  as  might  be  still  alive,  pour  leur  sau\"er 
I'ame.  The  Mahomcdans  who,  at  the  time  that  their  serA'iccs 
were  useful  in  assisting  to  prepare  the  national  calendai",  had  a 
powerful  influence  at  court,  did  much  better :  these  zealous 
bigots  to  a  religion,  whose  least  distinguishing  feature  is  that 
of  humanity,  \vere,  however,  on  these  occasions,  the  means  of 
saving  the  lives  of  all  the  little  innocents  they  possibly  could 
save  from  this  maw  of  deatli,  which  was  an  humane  act,  al- 
though it  might  be  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  them  up  ii\  tlie 
principles  of  their  own  foitli.  I  was  assured  by  one  of  the 
Christian  missionaries,  with  wiiom  I  had  daily  conversation 
during  a  residence  of  live  weeks  within  the  Avails  of  the  empe- 
ror's jxilace  at  Yuen-min-yucn,  and  v.  ho  took  his  tani  in  ui- 


114  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

tending,  ponr  leur  sauvcr  I'ame,  that  such  scenes  were  some- 
times exhibited  on  these  occasions  as  to  make  the  feeling  mind 
shudder  widi  hoiTor.  When  I  mention  that  dogs  and  swine 
are  let  loose  in  all  the  narrow  streets  of  the  capital,  the  reader 
may  conceive  what  A\'iil  sometimes  necessarily  happen  to  the 
exposed  infants,  before  the  police  carts  can  pick  them  up. 

The  number  of  children,  thus  unnaturally  and  inhumanly 
slaughtered,  or  interred  alive,  in  the  course  of  a  year,  is  difFer- 
entl}'  stated  by  different  authors ;  some  making  it  about  ten, 
and  others  thirt}-,  thousand,  in  the  \'ihole  empire.  The  truth, 
as  generall}'  happens,  may  probably  lie  about  the  middle.  The 
missionaries,  who  alone  possess  the  means  Of  ascertaining  nearly 
the  number  that  is  thus  sacrificed  in  the  capital,  differ  very  ma- 
terially in  their  statements  :  taking  the  mean,  as  given  by  those 
\A-ith  whom  we  conversed  on  the  subject,  I  should  conclude 
tliat  about  t^venty-four  infants  Avere,  on  an  average,  in  Pekin, 
daily  carried  to  the  pit  of  death,  where  the  little  innocents,  that 
have  not  yet  breathed  their  last,  are  condemned  without  re- 
morse, 


.  to  be  stifled  in  the  vault, 


"  To  whose  foul  mouth  no  healthsome  sur  breathes  in, 
"  And  there  die." 

This  calculation  gives  nine  thousand,  nearly,  for  the  capital 
alone,  where  it  is  supposed  about  an  equal  number  are  exposed 
to  that  of  all  the  other  parts  of  the  empiie.  Those,  whose  con- 
stant residence  is  upon  the  water,  and  ^^•hose  poverty,  or  su- 
perstition, or  total  insensibilit\%  or  v\"hatever  the  cause  may  be 
that  leads  them  to  the  perpetration  of  an  act  against  which  na- 
ture revolts,  sometimes,  it  is  said,  expose  their  infants  by 
throwing  them  into  the  canal  or  river,  with  a  gourd  tied  round 
their  necks,  to  keep  the  head  above  water,  and  preserve  them 
alive  until  some  humane  person  may  be  induced  to  pick  them 
up.  This  hazai'dous  experiment,  in  a  country  where  humanity- 
appears  to  be  reduced  to  so  low  an  ebb,  can  only  be  considered 
as  an  aggravation  of  cruelty.  I  ha^-e  seen  the  dead  body  of  an 
infant,  but  v^ithout  any  gourd,  floating  down  the  river  of  Can- 
ton, among  the  boats,  and  the  people  seemed  to  take  no  more 
notice  of  it  than  if  it  had  been  the  cai'case  of  a  dog :  this,  in- 
deed, v.ould,  in  all  probabilit}-,  have  attracted  their  attention ; 
dogs  being  an  article  of  food  commonly  used  by  them.  The 
miserable  half-famished  Chinese,  living  upon  tlie  water,  arc 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  US 

glad  to  get  any  tK!ng  in  the  shape  of  animal  food,  which  they 
will  even  eat  in  a  state  of  puti-ef "action.  Yet,  little  scrupiilou:> 
as  they  are,  ^\^th  regard  to  diet,  I  am  not  credulous  enou'i'h  'o 
believe  the  infonnation  of  a  Swedish  autlior  *  to  be  correct  in 
his  statement  of  a  cure  for  a  certain  disease,  though  "  he  has 
no  reason  to  doubt  of  the  fact,"  per  Ti«K>?>«y«v,  alternis  diebus, 
altemis  jejunio — by  eating  childicn  evei y  other  da}' ! 

A  picture  so  hoirid  in  its  nature,  as  the  exposing  of  infants 
presents  to  the  imagination,  is  not  to  be  surpassed  among  the 
most  savage  nations.  The  celebrated  legislator  of  Athens  made 
no  law  to  punish  panicide,  because  he  considered  it  as  a  crime 
against  nature,  too  heinous  ever  to  be  committed ;  and  tl^.t  the 
bare  supposition  of  such  a  crime  would  have  disgraced  the 
countr}-.  The  Chinese,  in  like  manner,  have  no  nositi^•e  lav.- 
against  infanticide.  The  laws  of  die  rude  and  warlike  Spartans 
allowed  infanticide,  of  which,  however,  the  parents  were  not 
the  perpetrators,  nor  the  abettors.  Nor,  among  these  people, 
were  the  weak  and  sickly  children,  deemed  b}-  the  magistrates 
unlikely  ever  to  become  of  use  to  themselves,  or  to  the  public, 
throwTi  into  the  un-tS-nKr.,  or  common  rcpositoiy  of  the  dead  bo- 
dies of  children,  until  life  had  been  prcAiously  extinguished, 
we  m'AI  charitably  suppose,  by  gentle  and  the  least  painful 
means. 

The  exposing  of  children,  however,  it  must  be  allowed,  ^vas 
very  common  among  die  ancients.  The  stem  and  rigid  virtues 
of  die  Romans  allowed  this,  among  many  other  customs,  that 
were  more  umiatural  than  amiable,  and  such  as  in  civilized  so- 
cieties of  the  present  day  would  have  been  considered  among 
the  most  atrocious  of  moral  crimes.  A  Roman  father,  if  his  in- 
fant was  meant  to  be  preserved,  lifted  it  from  the  giound  in  his 
arms;  if  he  neglected  that  ceremony,  the  child,  it  would  seem, 
was  considered  as  doomed  to  exposure  in  the  highwa^^  Thus, 
in  the  Andrian  of  Terence,  where,  though  the  scene  is  not  laid 
in  Rome,  Roman  customs  are  described,  "  quidquid  pepcris- 
*'  set,  decreverunt  tollere."  *'  Let  it  be  boy  or  girl,  tliej-  have 
"  resolved  to  lift  it  from  the  giound."  Nor,  indeed,  is  secret 
infanticide  unknown  in  modem  Europe,  although  it  may  be 
owing  to  a  different  principle.  In  such  cases,  die  sense  of 
shame,  and  the  fear  of  encoiuitering  the  scorn  and  obliquy  of 
the  world,  liave  determined  die  conduct  of  die  unhappy  mo- 

•  Mr.  Torreeij. 


116  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

ther,  before  the  feelings  of  nature  could  have  time  to  operate. 
For  I  am  wiUir.g  to  hope  that  none  who  had  ever  experienced 
a  mother's  feelings  and  a  mother's  joy  Avould  consent,  by  any 
means,  direct  or  indirect,  or  under  any  impression  of  fear  of 
shame,  of  scorn,  or  biting  penury,  to  the  destruction  of  a 
new-born  babe.  And  I  may  venture  to  say,  with  confidence, 
that  a  British  cottager,  however  indigent,  would  divide  his 
scanty  pittance  among  a  dozen  children,  rather  than  consent 
to  let  some  of  them  perish,  that  he  and  the  rest  might  fare  the 
better,  were  even  our  laws  as  tacit  on  this  subject  as  those 
of  China. 

Some  of  the  Christian  missionaries,  in  their  accounts  of 
this  country,  have  attempted  to  palliate  the  unnatural  act  of 
exposing  infants,  by  attributing  it  to  the  midwife,  w^ho  they 
pretend  to  sa}-,  from  knowing  the  circumstances  of  the  pa- 
rents, strangle  the  child  ^vitliout  the  knowledge  of  the  mother, 
telling  her  that  the  infant  was  still-born.  Others  have  as- 
cribed the  practice  to  a  belief  in  tlie  metempsycosis,  or 
transmigration  of  souls  into  other  bodies ;  that  the  parents, 
seeing  their  children  must  be  doomed  to  poverty,  think  it  is 
better  at  once  to  let  the  soul  escape,  in  search  of  a  more  happy 
asylum,  than  to  linger  in  one  condemned  to  want  and  wretch- 
edness. No  degree  of  superstition,  one  would  imagine,  could 
prevail  upon  a  pai'ent  to  reason  thus,  in  tliat  most  anxious  and 
critical  moment,  when  the  combined  efforts  of  hope  and  fear, 
of  exquisite  joy  and  severe  pain,  agitate  by  turns  the  mother's 
breast.  Besides,  the  Chinese  trouble  tliemselves  very  little 
with  superstitious  notions,  unless  where  they  apprehend  some 
personal  danger.  Nor  is  it  more  probable  that  the  midwife 
should  take  upon  herself  the  commission  of  a  concealed  and 
\'oluntary  murder  of  an  innocent  and  helpless  infant,  for  the 
salvC  of  sparing  those  feelings  in  another,  of  which  the  sup- 
position implies  she  could  not  possibly  partake ;  and  if  she 
should  be  encouraged  by  the  father,  whose  affections  for  an 
infant  child  may  be  more  gradually  unfolded  thaji  the  mo- 
ther's, to  pei-petrate  so  horrid  an  act,  we  must  allow  that,  to 
the  existence  of  natural  and  murderous  parents  must  be  added 
that  of  hired  ruflians ;  so  that  Gliinese  virtue  would  gain  little 
by  such  a  supposition. 

It  is  much  more  probable  that  extreme  poverty  and  hope- 
less indigence,  tlie  frequent  experience  of  direful  famines,  and 
the  scenes  of  misery  and  calamity  occasioned  by  them,  acting 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  117 

on  minds  whose  ajRections  are  not  ^  eiy  powerful,  Iiulucc  tliis 
unnatural  crime,  which  common  custom  has  encouraged,  and 
which  is  not  prohibited  by  positive  la\^'.  That  this  is  the 
case,  and  that  future  advaritages  are  not  o\erlooked,  A\-ill  ap- 
pear  from  the  circumstance  of  almost  dl  the  infants  that  ai-e 
exposed  being  females,  who  are  the  least  able  to  pro^•ide  for 
themselves,  and  the  least  profitable  to  their  parents ;  and  the 
practice  is  most  frequent  in  crowded  cities,  \\here  not  only 
poverty  more  commonly  prevails,  but  so  many  examples  daily 
occur  of  inhunianity,  of  summaiy  punishments,  acts  of  \^io- 
lence,  and  cruelty,  that  the  mind  becomes  callous,  and  habitu- 
ated to  scenes  that  once  would  have  shocked,  and  is  at  length 
scarcely  susceptible  of  the  cnoiTnity  of  crimes. 

I  am  afraid,  however,  it  is  but  too  common  a  practice,  even 
in  the  remotest  comers  of  the  provinces.  A  respectable  French 
missionar}-,  now  in  London,  who  was  many  years  in  Fo-kicn, 
told  me  that  he  once  happened  to  ciill  on  one  of  his  converts, 
just  at  the  moment  his  wife  was  brought  to  bed.  The  dc^'oted 
infant  was  delivered  to  the  father,  in  order  to  be  plunged  into 
a  jar  of  water  that  ^\•as  prepaied  for  the  purpose.  The 
missionary  expostulated  with  the  man  on  the  heinousness  of 
an  act  that  was  a  crime  ag-ainst  God  and  nature.  The  man 
persisted  that,  having  already  more  than  he  could  support,  it 
Mould  be  a  gi'cater  crime  to  preserve  a  life  condemned  to  want 
and  miser}-,  than  to  take  it  a\\'ay  witliout  pain.  The  missiona- 
r}-,  finding  diat  no  ai-gument  of  his  was  likely  to  divert  him  from 
his  puipose,  observed  "  that,  as  a  Christian,  he  could  not  rc- 
"  fuse  him  the  satisfaction  of  saAing  the  infant's  soul  b^-  bap- 
*'  tism."  During  the  ceremony,  as  the  father  held  the  infant 
in  his  ai'ms,  he  happened  to  fix  his  eyes  on  its  face,  \\hen  the 
missionaiy  thought  he  perceived  the  feelings  of  nature  begin 
to  work  ;  and  he  protracted  the  ceremony  to  gi^^e  time  for  the 
latent  spark  of  parental  affection  to  kindle  into  flame.  When 
the  ceremony  \\as  ended,  "  Noav,"  says  the  mission[.!  v,  "  I 
*'  have  done  my  duty  in  saving  a  soul  from  perishing."  "  And 
"  I,"  rejoined  the  man,  "  will  do  mine,  by  saving  its  life;" 
and  hun'ied  away  with  the  inflint,  to  deposit  it  in  die  bosom 
of  its  mother. 

How  veiy  weak,  then,  in  reality,  must  be  die  boasted  filial 
aftection  of  the  Chinese  for  their  parents,  when  they  sciiiplc 
not  to  become  the  murderers  of  their  own  children,  towaids 
whom,  according  to  Uie  immutable  laws  of  nature,  the  force 


118  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

of  affection  will  ever  be  stronger  tlian  for  those  whom  the  laws 
of  China,  in  preference,  have  commanded  ta  be  protected  and 
supported,  when  rendered  incapable  of  i^ssisiing  themselves. 
The  truth  of  this  observation,  which  I  believe  few  will  call  in 
question,  is  a  strong  proof  that,  as  I  have  already  remai'ked, 
filial  piety  among  die  Chinese  may  rather  be  considered  in 
the  hght  of  an  ancient  precept,  carrying  with  it  the  weight  of 
a  positi^•e  law,  than  the  effect  of  sentiment. 

It  is  right  to  mention  here  (what  however  is  no  palliation  of 
the  crime,  though  a  diminution  of  the  extent  of  it)  a  circum- 
stance which  I  do  not  recollect  to  hiive  seen  noticed  by  any 
author,  and  the  truth  of  which  I  have  too  good  auiliority  to 
call  in  question.  As  every  corpse,  gieat  and  small,  must  be 
carried  to  a  place  of  burial  at  a  considerable  distance  Avithout 
the  city,  and  as  custom  requires  that  all  funerals  should  be 
conducted  with  veiy  heavy  expenses,  people  in  Pelcin,  even 
those  in  comfortable  circumstances,  make  no  hesitation  in 
laying  in  baskets  still-born  children,  or  infants  ^^  ho  may  die 
the  first  month,  knowing  that  they  will  be  taken  up  by  the 
police.  This  being  the  case,  Ave  may  easily  conceive  that,  in 
a  city  said  to  contain  tlii^ee  millions  of  people,  a  great  propor- 
tion of  the  nine  thousand,  which  we  have  supposed  to  be  an- 
nually exposed,  may  be  of  the  above  description.  According, 
to  the  rules  of  political  arithmetic,  and  supposing  half  of  those 
who  died  to  be  exposed,  the  number  would  be  diminished  to 
about  4000.  The  expense  attending  a  Chinese  funeral  is 
more  extravagant  than  an  European  can  well  conceive.  A 
rich  Hong  merchant  at  Canton  is  knoAvn  to  have  kept  his 
mother  near  twelve  months  above  ground,  because  it  w  s  not 
con\enient  for  him  to  bury  her  in  a  manner  suitable  to  liis 
supposed  wealth  and  station. 

I  am  informed  also  that  foundling  hospitals  do  exist  in 
China,  but  that  they  are  on  a  small  scale,  being  raised  and 
supported  by  donations  of  individuals,  and  their  continuance 
is,  therefore,  as  precarious  as  the  wealth  of  their  charitable 
founders. 

These  unfavorable  features  in  the  character  of  a  people, 
whose  natural  disposition  is  neither  ferocious  nor  morose,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  mild,  obliging,  and  cheerful,  can  be  attributed 
only  to  the  habits  in  which  they  have  been  trained,  and  to  the 
heavy  hand  of  power  perpetually  hanging  over  them.  That 
this  is  actually  the  case  may  be  inferred  from  the  general  con- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  ll<» 

duct  and  character  of  those  vast  multitudes  \\ho,  from  time  to 
time,  have  emigrated  to  the  Philiippine  islands,  Batavia,  Pulo 
Piiiaiig,  ajid  other  parts  of  our  Last  Indian  settlements.  In 
tliose  places  they  are  not  less  remai'kable  for  their  honesty 
than  for  their  peaceable  and  industrious  habits.  To  the  Dutch 
in  BatiiVia  they  are  masons,  ciapenters,  tailors,  shoemakers, 
shopkeepers,  bankers,  and,  in  short,  every  tiling.  Indolence 
arid  luxury  are  tliere  aiTived  to  such  a  height  tliat,  without  die 
assistance  of  the  Chinese,  the  Dutch  Mould  literally  be  in  dim- 
ger  of  starving.  Yet  the  infamous  government  oi  that  place, 
in  the  year  1741,  caused  to  be  nrassacred,  in  cold  blood,  many 
thousands  of  these  haimless people,  \\ ho  offered  no  resistance ; 
neither  women  nor  cliildren  escaped  die  fury  of  these  blood- 
hounds. 

In  these  places  it  appears  also,  tliat  their  quickness  at  inven- 
tion is  not  suipassed  by  accuracy  of  imitation,  for  which  diej 
ha\  e  always  been  accounted  remarkably  expert  in  their  own 
countiy.  Man  is,  by  nature,  a  hoiu'ding  animal ;  and  his  en- 
deavours to  accumulate  property  will  be  proportioned  to  the 
securit)'^  and  stabilitj-  v  hich  the  laws  afford  for  the  possession 
and  enjoyment  of  that  property.  In  Cliina,  the  la^s  regarding 
property  are  insufficient  to  give  it  that  security  :  hence  the  ta- 
lent of  invention  is  there  seldom  exercised  beyond  suggesting 
the  means  of  providing  for  the  first  necessities  and  the  most 
pressing  \vants.  A  man,  irideed,  is  afraid  here  to  be  considered 
as  M'ealth}',  ^\•ell  knoA\ing  that  some  of  the  rapacious  officers  of 
the  state  would  find  legal  reasons  to  extort  his  riches  from  him. 

The  exterior  deportment  of  e\'ery  class  in  China  is  uncom- 
monly decent,  and  all  their  manners  mild  and  engaging ;  but 
even  these,  among  persons  of  any  rank,  are  considered  as  ob- 
jects worthy  the  interference  of  the  legislature ;  hence  it  fol- 
lows that  they  are  ceremonious  \\  ithout  sincerity,  studious  of 
the  forms  only  of  politeness,  \\ithout  either  die  ease  or  elegance 
of  good-breeding.  An  inferior  makes  a  sham  attempt  to  fall  on 
his  knees  before  his  superior,  and  the  latter  affects  a  slight  mo- 
tion to  raise  him.  A  common  salutatioifhas  its  m.ode  prescribed 
by  the  court  of  ceremonies ;  and  any  neglect  or  default  in  a  ple- 
beian towards  his  superior  is  punishable  by  corporal  chastise- 
ment, and  in  men  in  office  by  degradation  or  suspension.  In 
making  thus  the  exterior  and  public  manners  of  the  people  a 
concern  of  the  legislature,  society,  in  many  respects,  w^as  con- 
siderably benefited.     Between  equals,  and  among  the  lower 


120  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

orders  of  people,  abusi\e  language  is  very  unusual,  and  they 
seldom  proceed  to  blo\vs.  If  a  quarrel  should  be  carried  to 
this  extremit}^,  the  contest  is  rarely  attended \\ith  more  serious 
consequences  than  the  loss  of  the  long  lock  of  hair  growing 
from  the  cro\Mi  of  the  head,  or  the  rent  of  their  clothes.  The 
act  of  drawing  a  sword,  or  presenting  a  pistol,  is  sufficient  to 
frighten  a  common  Chinese  into  convulsions ;  and  their  war- 
riors shew  but  few  symptoms  of  bravery.  The  Chinese  may 
certainly  be  considered  among  the  most  timid  people  on  the 
face  of  the  earth ;  they  seem  to  possess  neither  personal  cou- 
rage, nor  the  least  presence  of  mind  in  dangers  or  difficulties ; 
consequences  that  are  deriA'cd,  probably,  from  the  influence 
of  the  moral  over  the  ph}- sical  chtiracter.  Yet,  there  is,  per- 
haps, no  country  where  acts  of  suicide  occur  more  frequently 
than  in  Cliina,  among  the  women  as  well  as  the  men :  such 
acts  being  nifa-ked  with  no  disgrace,  ai-e  not  held  in  any  ab- 
horrence. The  go's  emment,  indeed,  should  seem  to  hold  out 
encouragement  to  suicide,  by  a  very  common  practice  of  mi- 
tigiiting  the  sentence  of  death,  in  allowing  the  criminal  to  be 
his  own  executioner.  The  late  viceroy  of  Canton,  about  two 
years  ago,  put  an  end  to  his  liie  by  swallowing  his  stone  snuff- 
bottle,  v/hich  stuck  in  the  oesophagus ;  and  he  died  in  excru- 
dating  agonies. 

In  a  government,  where  e^•cry  man  is  liable  to  be  made  a 
slave,  where  every  man  is  subject  to  be  flogged  with  the  bam- 
boo, at  the  nod  of  one  of  the  lowest  rank  of  those  in  office, 
and  where  he  is  compelled  to  kiss  the  rod  that  beats  him,  or, 
w  hich  amounts  to  the  same  thing,  to  thank  the  tyrant  on  his 
knees  for  the  trouble  he  has  taken  to  con-ect  his  morals,  high 
notions  of  honour  and  dignified  sentiments  are  not  to  be  ex- 
pected. Where  the  maxims  of  the  government  commanding, 
and  the  opinions  of  the  people  agreeing,  that  corporal  punish- 
ment may  be  inflicted,  on  the  ground  of  a  favour  conferred 
upon  the  person  pimished,  a  principle  of  humiliation  is  admit- 
ted that  is  well  calculated  to  exclude  and  obliterate  every 
riotion  of  the  dignity  o^^human  nature. 

A  slave,  in  fact,  cannot  be  dishonoured.  The  condition 
itself  of  being  dependent  upon,  and  subject  to,  the  caprice  of 
another,  without  the  privilege  of  appeal,  is  such  a  degraded 
stat*e  of  the  human  species,  "that  those  who  ai'e  unfortunately 
reduced  to  it  have  no  further  ignominy  or  sense  of  shame  to 
undei'go.  The  vices  of  such  a  condition  are  innumerable,  and 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA*  121 

they  appear  on  all  occasions  among  this  people  celebrated 
(rather  undeservedly  I  think)  for  their  polished  manners  and 
civilized  government.  A  Chinese  merchant  ^\•ill  cheat,  when 
ever  an  opportunity  oflers  him  the  means,  because  he  is  con- 
sidered to  be  incapable  of  acting  honestly ;  a  Chinese  peasant 
will  steal,  whene\  er  he  can  do  it  ^^•ithout  danger  of  being  de- 
tected, because  the  punishment  is  only  the  bamboo,  to  which 
he  is  daily  liable ;  and  a  Chinese  prince,  or  a  prime  minister, 
will  extort  tlie  property  of  the  subject,  and  apjjly  it  to  his  pri- 
vate  use,  whenever  he  diinks  he  can  do  it  v.  itii  impunit}-.  Thr 
only  check  upon  the  rapacity  of  men  in  poA\er  is  the  influence 
of  fear,  arising  from  the  possibility  of  detection  :  the  lo^'e  of 
honour,  the  dread  of  shame,  and  a  sense  of  justice,  seem  to 
be  equally  unfelt  by  the  majority  of  men  in  oflicc. 

It  \\'ould  be  needless  to  multiply^  instances  to  those  already 
on  record  of  the  refined  knavery  displa)ed  b\"  Chinese  iPxCr- 
chants  in  their  dealings  with  Europeans,  or  the  ti'icks  that  they 
play  off  in  tlieir  ti-ansactions  \\'ith  one  another.  They  are  well 
known  to  most  nations,  and  are  proverbial  in  their  own.  A 
merchant  with  them  is  considered  as  the  lowest  character  in 
the  countiy,  as  a  man  that  ^^•ill  cheat  if  he  can,  and  ^\•hose 
trade  it  is  to  create  and  then  supply  artificial  ^vants.  To  this 
general  chiu^cter,  which  public  opinion  has  m.ost  probably 
made  to  be  what  it  is,  an  exception  is  due  to  those  merchants 
who,  acting  under  the  immediate  sanction  of  the  government, 
ha\'e  always  been  remarked  for  their  liberality  and  accuracy  in 
their  dealings  with  Europeans  trading  to  Canton.  These  men, 
who  are  stjled  the  Hong  merchants,  in  distinction  to  a  com- 
mon merchant,  \vhom  they  call  mai-mai-gin,  a  bu}  ing  and 
selling  man,  might  not  unjustly  be  compared  A\ith  the  most 
eminent  of  die  mercantile  class  in  England. 

But,  as  traders  in  general  are  degraded  in  all  the  state 
maxims,  and  consequendy  in  public  opinion,  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing they  should  attach  so  little  respect  to  the  character  of* 
foreign  merchants  ti'ading  to  their  ports,  especi^illy  as  several 
knavish  tricks  have  been  practised  upon  them,  in  spite  of  all 
their  acuteness  and  precaution.  The  gaudy  -watches  of  indif- 
ferent workman5,hip,  fabricated  purposely  for  the  China  market, 
and  once  in  uni\ersal  demand,  aj-e  now  scarcely  asked  for.  One 
gendeman,  in  the  honourable  East  India  Company's  employ, 
took  it  into  his  head  that  cuckoo-clocks  might  pro\e  a  saleable 
article  in  China,  and  accordindv  laid  iii  a  large  assortment, 


122  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

Vvhich  more  than  answered  his  sanguine  expectations.  But 
as  these  \\'ooden  machines  were  consti-ucted  for  sale  only,  and 
not  Ibr  use,  the  cuckoo-clocks  became  all  mute  long  before 
the  second  iirrival  of  tliis  gentleman  w  ith  another  cai-go.  His 
clocks  were  now  not  only  unsaleable,  but  the  former  pur- 
chasers threatened  to  return  theirs  upon  his  hands,  which 
"would  certainly  have  been  done,  had  not  atliought  entered  his 
head,  that  not  only  pacified  his  former  customers,  but  procured 
him  also  other  purchasers  for  his  second  cargo  :  he  convinced 
tliem,  by  undeniable  authorities,  that  the  cuckoo  was  a  very 
odd  kind  of  bird,  which  sung  only  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year,  and  assured  them  that,  ^^hene^'er  the  proper  time  arrived, 
all  the  cuckoos  they  had  purchased  \vould  once  again  "  tune 
their  melodious  tlii'oats."  After  this  it  would  only  be  fair  to 
allow  tlie  Chinese  sometimes  to  trick  the  European  purchaser 
Avith  a  ^^'ooden  ham  instead  of  a  real  one. 

But  as  something  more  honourable  might  be  expected  in  a 
prince  of  the  blood,  a  grandson  of  the  emperor,  I  shall  just 
mention  one  anecdote  that  happened  during  my  abode  in  the 
palace  of  Yuen-min-yuen.  This  gentleman,  then  about  five- 
and-twenty  years  of  age,  having  no  ostensible  employment, 
came  almost  daily  to  the  hall  of  audience,  where  we  w^ere  ar- 
ranging the  presents  for  the  emperor.  He  had  frequently 
desired  to  look  at  a  gold  time-piece  which  I  wore  in  my 
pocket:  one  morning  I  received  a  message  from  him,  by  one 
of  the  missionaiies,  to  know  if  I  w^ould  sell  it,  and  for  what 
price.  I  explained  to  the  missionaiy  that,  being  a  present 
fi'om  a  friend,  and  a  token  of  remembi'ance,  I  could  not  wil- 
lingly part  with  it ;  but  that  I  would  endeavour  to  procure  him 
one  equally  good  from  our  aiiificers,  who,  I  thought,  had 
such  articles  for  sale.  I  soon  discovered,  however,  that  his 
royal  highness  had  already  been  with  these  people,  but  did 
not  like  their  prices.  The  following  mornmg  a  second  mis- 
sionary came  to  me,  bringing  a  present  from  the  prince,  con- 
sisting of  about  half  a  pound  of  common  tea,  a  silk  purse, 
and  a  few  trumpery  trinkets,  hinting  at  the  same  time,  that  he 
was  expected  to  cany^  back  the  A^atch  in  return  as  an  equi- 
valent. I  requested  the  missionary  immediately  to  take  back 
the  princely  present,  m  hich  he  did  with  considerable  reluc- 
tance, dreading  his  highness's  displeasure.  The  poor  fellow 
happened  to  have  a  gold  watch  about  him,  which  he  was  de- 
sired to  shew ;  and  the  same  day  he  had  a  visit  from  one  of 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  125 

the  prince's  domestics,  to  say,  that  his  niiister  would  do  liini 

the  honour  to  accept  his  watch ;  which  he  ^v•as  not  only  undtr 

the  necessity  of  sending,  but  was  obhged  to  thank  him,  on 

his  knees,  for  this  extraordinaiy  mark  of  distinction.    Pie  told 

me,  moreover,  that  this  same  gentleman  had  at  least  a  dozen 

watches,  \vhich  had  been  procured  in  the  same  honourable  ^va)\ 

In  the  list  of  presents  carried  by  the  late  Dutch  eml^assador 

were  tv\  o  grand  pieces  of  machinery,  that  formerl\-  \\  ere  a  pait 

of  the  curious  museum  of  the  ingenious  Mr.  Coxe.     In  the 

course  of  the  long  journey  from  Qinton  to  Pekin  the}-  had 

suffered  some  slight  damage.     On  leaving  the  ca])ital  they 

discovered,  through  one  of  the  missionaries,  that  while  these 

pieces  were  under  repair,  the  prime  minister  Ho-tch.ing-tonp- 

had  substituted  two  others,  of  a  very  inferior  and  common 

sort,  to  complete  the  list,  reserving  the  tw  o  grand  pieces  of 

clockwork   for  himself,   which,  at   some  future  period,   he 

would,  perhaps,  take  the  merit  of  presenting  to  the  emperor 

in  his  own  name. 

These  examples  but  too  clearly  illustrate  a  great  defect  in 
the  boasted  moral  character  of  the  Chinese,     iiut  the  fault, 
as  I  before  observed,  seems  to  be  more  in  the  system  of  go- 
vernment than  in  the  nature  and  disposition  of  the  j^eople. 
The  accession  of  a  foreign  power  to  the  throne,  by  adopting 
the  language,  the  laws,  and  the  customs  of  the  conquered,  has 
preserved,  with  the  forms,  all  the  abuses  of  the  ancient  go- 
vernment.   The  character  of  the  governors  may  differ  a  little  ; 
but  that  of  the  government  remains  unchanged,  'i'he  Tartars, 
by  assuming  the  dress,  the  manners,  and  the  habits  of  the 
Chinese,  by  being  originally  descended  from  the  same  stock, 
and  by  a  great  resemblance  of  features,  ai'c  sciU'cel}'  distin- 
guishable from  them  in  their  external  appeai'ance  ;  and  if  any 
physical  difference  exist,  it  seems  to  be  in  stiiturc  onl\ ,  ^vhich 
may  hsive  arisen  from  local  causes.     The  Chinese  are  rather 
taller,  and  of  a  more  slender  and  delicate  form  than  the  Tai*- 
tars,  who  are  in  general  short,  thick,  and  robust.     The  sm:ill 
eye,  elliptical  at  the  end  next  to  the  nose,  is  a  predominating 
feature  in  the  cast  of  both  the  Taitar  and  the  Chinese  counte- 
nance ;  and  they  have  both  the  simie  high  cheek-bones  and 
pointed  chins,  Avhich,  with  the  custom  of  shaving  off  the  hair, 
gives  to  the  head  the  shape  of  an  inverted  cone,  rem.aikable 
enough  in  some  subjects,  but  neither  so  general,  nor  so  sin- 
^lar,  as  to  warrant  dieir  bein^  considered  among  the  monsters 


124  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA, 

in  nature,  "  Homo  monstrosus,  macroceplialus,  capite  conlco, 
Chinensis.  "*    The  head  of  our  worthy  conductor  Van-ta.gin, 
who  was  a  real  Chinese,  had  nothing  in  its  shape  diiFerent 
from  tliat  of  an  European,  except  the  eye.    The  portrait  of 
this  gentleman,  drawn  by  ISIr.  Hickey,  is  so  strong  a  Ukeness, 
and  he  was  deservedly  so  great  a  favourite  of  every  English- 
man in  the  train  of  the  British  embassador,  that  I  am  happy  in 
haA-ing  an  opportunity  of  placing  it  at  the  head  of  this  Avork. 
The  natural  colour  both  of  the  Chinese  and  Tartai*s  seems 
to  be  that  tint  between  a  fair  and  di\rk  complexion,  which  we 
distinguish  by  the  word  brunet  or  brunette ;  and  the  shades  of 
this  complexion  ai-e  deeper,  or  lighter,  according  as  they  have 
been  more  or  less  exposed  to  the  influence  of  the  climate. 
The  women  of  the  lower  class,  who  labour  in  the  fields,  or  who 
duel!  in  vessels,  ai-e  almost  invaiiably  coai'se,  ill-featured,  and 
of  a  deep  brown  complexion,  like  that  of  the  Hottentot.    But 
this  v^•e  find  to  be  the  case  among  the  poor  of  almost  e\'ery  na- 
tion.   Hard  labour,  scanty  fore,  and  early  and  frequent  partii- 
tition,  soon  Thither  the  delicate  buds  of  beaut}-.    I'he  spright- 
liness  and  expression  of  the  features,  as  well  as  the  colour  of 
the  skin,  which  distinguish  the  higher  ranks  from  the  vulgai', 
are  the  eilects  of  ease  and  education.    We  saw  v/omen  in 
China,  though  vtry  few,  that  might  pass  for  beauties  e\'en  in 
Europe.    The  Malay  features,  howcA'cr,  prevail  in  most ;  a 
small  black  or  dark  broAMi  eye,  a  short  rounded  nose,  gene- 
rally a  little  flattened,  lips  considerably  thicker  than  in  Euro- 
peans, and  black  hair,  arc  universal. 

The  Man-tchoo  Tartars  would  appear  to  be  composed  of  a 
nilxed  race  :  among  these  we  obser\ed  sevci*al,  both  men  and 
\vomen,  that  were  extremely  fair  and  of  florid  complexions  : 
some  had  light  blue  eyes,  straight  or  aquiline  noses,  brown 
hair,  immense  bushy  beards,  and  had  much  more  the  appear- 
ance of  Greeks  thaii  of  Tartars.  It  is  certainly  not  improbable 
that  the  Greeks  of  Sogdiana,  whose  descendants  must  ha\'e 
blended  with  the  western  Tartars,  and  \\ith  A\hom  the  Man- 
tchoos  were  connected,  may  have  communicated  this  cast  of 
countenance.  Tcliien-Lung,  whose  nose  Avas  somewhat  aqui- 
line, and  complexion  florid,  used  to  boast  of  his  descent  from 
Gengis-khan :  these,  however,  ai'e  exceptions  to  the  general 
chanicter,  which  is  evidently  the  same  as  that  of  the  Chinese. 

•  Linn.  Systema  Naturjc. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  125 

But,  although  tlieir  appearance  and  manners  arc  externally 
the  same,  a  closer  acquaintance  soon  disco\'ers  that  in  disposi- 
tion they  are  widely  different.  Those  who  are  better  pleased 
with  a  blunt  sincerit}',  bordering  on  rudeness,  than  widi  a  stu- 
died complaisance,  approaching  to  servility  ;  who  may  tliink  it 
better  to  be  robbed  openly  than  cheated  civilly ;  "s\Hl  be  apt  to 
give  the  preference  to  the  Tartar  chai-actcr.  Yet,  those  Tartiirs 
of  distinction,  who  fill  some  of  the  higher  situations  in  the  state, 
soon  lose  their  native  roughness,  and  are  scarcely  distinguish- 
able in  dieir  manners  and  demeanour  from  the  Chinese. 

The  ease,  politeness,  and  dignified  carriage  of  the  old  vice- 
roy of  Pe-tche-lce,  Mho  was  a  Man-tchoo,  could  not  be  exceed- 
ed by  tine  most  practised  courtier  in  modem  Europe  :  the  at- 
tention he  shewed  to  every  thing  that  concerned  the  embassy, 
the  unaffected  manner  in  which  he  received  and  entertained  us 
at  Tien-sing ;  the  kindness  and  condescension  with  wliich  he 
gave  his  orders  to  the  inferior  officers  and  to  his  domestics, 
placed  him  in  a  very  amiable  point  of  vieA\'.  He  \\  as  a  \'ery  fine 
old  man,  of  sevent}^-eight  )ears  of  age,  of  low  stature,  w idi 
small  sparkling  eyes,  a  benign  aspect,  a  long  silver  beard,  and 
the  whole  of  his  appeai'ance  calm,  venerable,  and  dignified. 
The  manners  of  Sun-ta-gin,  a  relation  of  the  emperor,  and  one 
of  the  six  ministers  of  stiite,  were  no  less  dignified,  easy,  and 
engaging ;  and  Chung-ta-gin,  the  new  vicero}'  of  Canton,  was 
a  plain,  unassuming,  and  good-natured  man.  The  prime  mi- 
nister Ho-chang-tong,  the  little  Tartar  legate,  and  the  ex-vice- 
roy of  Canton,  were  the  only  persons  of  rank,  among  the  many 
we  had  occasion  to  converse  with,  that  discovered  the  least  ill- 
humour,  distant  hauteur,  and  ^ant  of  complaisance.  All  the 
rest,  with  M^hom  we  had  an}-  concern,  m  hether  Tartai's  or  Chi- 
nese, when  in  our  private  society,  were  easy,  affable,  and  fa- 
miliar,  extremely  good-humoured,  loquacious,  communica- 
tive. It  was  in  public  only,  and  towaixls  each  other,  that  they 
assumed  dieir  ceremonious  gravity,  and  practised  all  the  tricks 
of  demeanour  which  custom  requires  of  them. 

The  general  chimicter,  however,  of  the  nation  is  a  strange 
compound  of  pride  and  meanness,  of  affected  gravity  and  real 
frivolousness,  of  refined  civility  and  gross  indelicacy.  Widi 
an  appearance  of  great  simplicity  and  openness  in  conversa- 
tion, they  practise  a  degree  of  art  and  cunning,  against  Avhich 
an  European  is  but  ill  prepared.  Their  manner  of  introducing 
th^  subject  of  the  court- ceremonies,  in  con\'ersation  widi  the 


126  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

embassador,  is  no  bad  specimen  of  tlieir  sly  addi'ess  in  ma- 
naging matters  of  this  sort.  Some  of  them  observed,  by  mere 
accident,  as  it  were,  ho^v  curious  it  was  to  see  tlie  different 
modes  of  dress  that  prevailed  among  different  nations ;  this 
naturall}'  brought  on  a  comparison  between  theirs  and  ours, 
the  latter  of  which  they  pretended  to  examine  with  critical  at- 
tention. After  a  good  deal  of  circumlocutory  observations, 
they  thought  their  own  entitled  to  tlie  preference,  being  more 
convenient,  on  account  of  its  being  made  wide  and  loose,  and 
free  from  tight  ligatures ;  whereas  ours  must  be  exceedingly 
uneasy  and  troublesome  in  any  other  posture  tlian  that  of  stand- 
ing upright ;  and  particularly  so  in  making  the  genuflections 
and  prostrations  which  were  customaiy,  and  indeed  necessar}% 
to  be  performed,  by  all  persons,  \\henever  the  emperor  ap- 
peared in  public.  No  notice  being  taken  of  this  broad  hint, 
so  artfully  introduced,  they  proceeded  to  compai'e  their  wide 
petticoats  with  our  breeches,  and  to  contrast  the  play  and  free- 
dom of  their  knee-joints  with  the  obstruction  that  our  knee- 
buckles  and  garters  must  necessarily  occasion.  This  brought 
theni  dii-ectly  to  the  point,  and  they  finished  by  recommend- 
ing, in  the  warmth  of  their  friendship,  that  we  should  disen- 
cumber ourseh'^es  of  our  breeches,  as  they  would  certainly  be 
inconvenient  to  appear  in  at  court. 

Of  perse\erance  in  negotiation,  or,  more  properly  speaking, 
in  driving  a  bai'gain,  the  Tartar  legate  gave  no  bad  specimen 
of  his  talent.  Ha\ing,  in  vain,  practised  everj^  ait  to  obtain 
from  the  embassador  an  unconditional  compliance  ^^-ith  the 
court  ceremony,  he  Avas  sent  at  length  by  the  prime  minister 
to  inform  him  that  the  impoitant  point  was  finally  decided,  and 
that  the  English  mode  was  to  be  adopted ;  but,  he  observed, 
as  it  Avas  not  the  custom  of  Chma  to  kiss  the  emperor's  hand, 
he  had  something  to  propose,  to  which  there  could  be  no  ob- 
jection, and  which  vras,  that,  in  lieu  of  that  pait  of  the  EngUsh 
ceremony,  he  should  put  the  second  knee  upon  the  ground, 
and,  instead  of  bending  one  knee,  kneel  on  both.  Iivfact,  they 
negociate,  on  the  most  trifling  point,  with  as  much  caution  and 
preciseness  as  if  the)^  were  forming  a  treaty  of  peace,  and  with 
Biore  address  than  some  treaties  of  peace  have  been  negociated. 

As  a  direct  refusal  to  any  request  would  betray  a  want  of 
good  breeding,  every  proposal  finds  their  immediate  acquies. 
cerxe ;  they  promise  without  hesitation,  but  generally  disap- 
point by  the  invention  of  some  sly  pretence  or  plausible  ob- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  127 

jection.  They  have  no  proper  sense  of  the  obligations  of 
truth.  So  Httie  scrupulous,  indeed,  are  the}-  with  regard  to 
veracity,  that  they  \v  ill  assert  and  contradict  without  blusliinp-, 
as  it  may  best  suit  the  purpose  of  the  moment. 

The  vanity  of  an  usurped  national  superiority,  and  a  high 
notion  of  self-importance,  never  forsake  them  on  any  occasion. 
Those  advantages  in  others  which  they  cannot  avoid  feeling, 
they  will  not  aftect  to  see.  And  although  they  are  reduced  to 
the  necessity  of  employing  foreigners  to  regulate  their  calen- 
dar, and  keep  tlieir  clocks  in  order ;  although  they  are  in  the 
habit  of  receiving  yearly  vai'ious  specimens  ot  art  and  ingenuity 
from  Europe,  yet  they  pertinaciously  affect  to  consider  all  the 
nations  of  the  eaith  as  barbai'ians  in  comparison  of  themselves. 
A  Chinese  merchant  of  Canton,  who,  from  the  I'requent  oppor- 
tunities of  seeing  English  ships,  wxs  not  insensible  of  their  ad- 
vantiigcs  over  those  of  his  own  nation,  which  traded  to  Bata- 
via,  and  other  distiint  ports,  rcsohed,  and  actually  began,  to 
construct  a  vessel  according  to  an  English  model ;  but  the 
hoopoo,  or  collector  of  the  customs,  being  apprised  of  it,  not 
only  obliged  him  to  relinquish  his  project,  but  lined  him  in  a 
hea\'y  penalty  for  presuming  to  adopt  the  modes  of  a  baibarous 
nation.  So  great  is  their  national  conceit,  that  not  a  single  ar- 
ticle imported  into  the  countr}-,  as  I  have  elsewhere  observed, 
retains  its  name :  not  a  nation,  nor  person,  nor  object,  tliat 
does  not  receive  a  Chinese  appellation :  so  tliat  their  language, 
though  poor,  is  pure. 

The  expressions  made  use  of  in  salutation,  by  different  na- 
tions, may  perhaps  be  considered  as  deriving  their  origin  from 
features  of  national  chai-acter.  Lau-ve,  "  Old  sir,"  is  a  title 
of  respect,  widi  ^vhich  the  first  officers  of  state  ma}-  be  addres- 
sed, because  the  maxims  of  government  have  inculcated  the 
doctrine  of  obedience,  respect  and  protection,  to  old  age.  The 
common  salutation  among  tlie  lower  orders  of  people,  in  some 
of  die  southern  provinces,  is,  Ya  fan,  "  Have  you  eaten  your 
rice  ?"  the  greatest  happiness,  that  the  common  class  of  people 
in  China  can  hope  to  enjoy,  consisting  in  thcii'  having  a  suffi- 
ciency of  rice.  Thus,  also,  the  Dutch,  who  ai'C  considered 
as  great  eaters,  haAC  a  morning  salutation,  ^\hich  is  common 
among  all  ranks,  Smaakelyk  eeten  !  "  May  you  eat  a 
heai'ty  diimer ! "  Another  universal  salutation  am.ong  this  peo- 
ple is,  Hoe  vaart  uwe?  "  How  do  you  sail?'-  adopted,  no 
doubt,  in  the  early  periods  of  the  republic,  Vr  hen  tliey  were  all 


128  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

navigators  and  fishermen.  The  usual  salutation  at  Cairo  is, 
"  How  do  you  sweat?"  a  dr}'  hot  skin  being  a  sure  indication 
of  a  destructi\'e  ephemeral  fever.  I  think  some  author  has 
obsen  ed,  in  contrasting  tlie  haughty  Spaniard  with  the  frivo- 
lous Frenchman,  that  the  proud  stei\dy  gait  and  inflexible  so- 
lemnity of  the  former  were  expressed  in  his  mode  of  saluta- 
tion, Come  esta?  "  How  do  you  stand?"  whilst  the Com- 
jiENT  vous  poRTEz-vous?  "  How do you  Carry  yoursclf?" 
was  equally  expressive  of  the  gay  motion  and  incessant  action 
of  the  latter. 

The  Chinese  are  so  ceremonious  among  themselves,  and  so 
punctilious  Mith  regard  to  etiquette,  that  the  omission  of  the 
most  minute  point,  established  by  the  court  of  ceremonies,  is 
considered  as  a  criminal  offence.  Visiting  by  tickets,  which 
\\  ith  us  is  a  fashion  of  modern  refinement,  has  been  a  common 
pi-actice  in  China  some  thousand  years ;  but  the  rank  of  a  Chi- 
nese A'isitor  is  immediately  ascertained  by  the  size,  colour,  and 
ornaments  of  his  ticket,  Avhich  also  varies  in  all  these  points 
according  to  the  rank  of  the  person  visited.  The  old  viceroy 
of  Pe-tche-lee's  ticket  to  the  embassador  contained  as  much 
crimson-coloured  paper  as  w  ould  be  sufficient  to  cover  the 
walls  of  a  moderate  sized  room. 


CHAP.  V. 

MANNERS   AND   AMUSEMENTS   OF   THE   COURT RECEPTION 

OF  EMBASSADORS CHARACTER   AND   PRIVATE   LIFE   OF 

THE  EMPEROR HIS  EUNUCHS  AND  WOMEN. 


General  Character  of  the  Court. — Of  the  Buildings  about  the  Palace. — Lord 
Macartney's  Account  of  his  Introduction. — Of  the  Celebration  of  the  Empe- 
ror's annivcrsaiy  Festival. — Of  a  Puppet-Show. — Comedy  and  Pantomime. — 
Wrestling. — Conjuring  and  Fire-Works. — Reception  and  Entertainment  of 
the  Dutch  Embassadors,  from  a  Manuscript  Journal. — Observations  on  the 
State  of  the  Chinese  Stage. — Extraordinary  Scene  in  one  of  their  Dramas. — 
Gross  and  indelicate  Exhibitions. — Sketch  of  Kien-Long's  Life  and  Charac- 
ter.— Kills  his  Son,  by  an  unlucky  Blow — conceives  himself  immortal. — In- 
fluence of  the  Eunuchs  at  the  Tartar  Conquest — their  present  State  and 
Offices. — Emperor's  Wife,  Qiieens,  and  Concubines. — How  disposed  of  at 
his  Death. 

AFTER  the  sketch  I  have  exhibited  of  the  state  of  so- 
ciety among  the  difterent  ranks  in  China,  a  tolerable  notion 
may  be  formed  of  the  general  character  and  complexion  of 
the  court.  It  is,  as  Lord  Macaitney  has  justly  observed,  *'  a 
*'  singular  mixture  of  ostentatious  hospitality  and  inbred  sus- 
"  picion,  ceremonious  civilit}'  and  real  rudeness,  shado^^y 
'*  complaisance  and  substantial  perverseness ;  and  this  prevails 
"  through  all  the  departments  connected  \\ith  the  court,  al- 
"  though  somewhat  modified  by  the  personal  disposition  of 
*'  tiiose  at  their  head  :  but  as  to  that  genuine  politeness,  which 
"  distinguishes  our  manners,  it  cannot  be  expected  in  Orien 
^'  tals,  considering,  among  other  things,  the  light  in  v»hich 
*'  they  are  accustomed  to  regard  the  female  part  of  society." 
Wliether  the  great  ministers  of  state,  ^\•ho  have  daily  inter- 
course in  the  different  tribunals,  sometimes  relax  from  the  stiff 
and  formal  deportment  observed  tovrards  each  other  in  public, 
I  am  not  able  to  say ;  but,  when  at  court,  they  in^  ariably  ob- 
serve certain  stated  fonns  and  expressions,  as  studied  arid  cere- 
monious as  if  they  had  ne\er  met  before.  It  appeared  to  us 
highly  ridiculous  to  see  our  friends,  the  two  colleagues  Van- 

R 


130  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

ta-gin  and  Clioii-ta-gin,  on  meeting  in  the  precincts  of  the 
palace,  performing  to  each  otiier  all  the  genuflexions  and 
motions  of  the  body  which  the  ceremonial  institutes  of  the 
empire  require. 

I  rather  suspect,  hofwever,  that,  where  any  degree  of  confi- 
dence prevails  among  these  people,  they  sometimes  enjoy  their 
moments  of  con\ i\ iality.  Our  two  ^vorthy  conductors  met  at 
Canton  an  old  acquaintance  who  was  governor  of  a  city  in 
Fokien.  He  ga\'c  them  an  e^^ening  entertainment,  on  the  river, 
in  a  splendid  yacht,  to  ^^  hich  I  was  privately  invited.  On 
entering  the  great  cabin  I  found  the  three  gentlemen,  with 
each  a  j'oung  girl  b}^  his  side,  ^  ery  richly  dressed,  die  cheeks, 
lips,  and  chin,  highly  rouged,  the  rest  of  the  face  and  neck 
whitened  "with  a  preparation  of  cerate.  I  was  welcomed  by  a 
cup  of  hot  wine  from  each  of  die  ladies,  who  first  sipped,  by 
v\"ay  of  pledging  me.  During  supper,  which,  for  number  and 
\ai-iety  of  dishes,  exceeded  any  thing  I  had  hitherto  met  ^^'ith 
in  the  country,  the  girls  pla}ed  on  the  flute,  and  sang  several 
airs ;  but  there  ^vas  nothing  ver}^  captivating  either  in  die  vocal 
or  instrumental  part  of  the  music.  Wc  passed  a  most  convi- 
vial e^Tning,  free  from  any  reserve  or  resti'aint ;  but,  on  going 
aw^ay,  I  \^'as  particularly  desu'ed  by  Van  not  to  take  any  notice 
of  what  I  had  seen ;  apprehensive,  I  suppose,  that  their  bro- 
ther officers  might  condemn  their  want  of  prudence  in  admit- 
ting a  Bai'barian  to  witness  their  relaxation  from  good  morals. 
The  yacht  and  the  ladies,  it  seemed,  were  hired  for  the  occasion. 

The  incalculable  numbers  of  the  great  officers  of  state  and 
their  attendants,  all  robed  in  the  richest  silks,  embroidered 
v.ith  the  most  brilliant  colours,  and  tissued  with  gold  and  silver, 
the  order,  silence,  and  solemnit}%  with  which  they  an-ange  and 
conduct  themselves  on  public  court- days,  are  the  most  com- 
mandin*^  features  on  such  occasions. 

The  sober  pomp  of  Asiatic  grandeur  is  exhibited  only  at 
ceitain  fixed  festivids ;  of  \\  hich  the  principal  is  the  anniver- 
sar}^  of  the  emperor's  birth-day,  the  commencement  of  a  ne^v 
year,  the  ceremonial  of  holding  the  plough,  and  the  reception 
of  foreign  embassadors,  most  of  Avhom  they  contrive  to  be 
present  at  one  or  other  of  these  festivals.  The  birth-day  is 
considered  to  be  the  most  splendid;  when  all  the  Tartar 
princes  and  tributaries,  and  all  the  splendid  officers  of  govern- 
ment, both  civil  and  militaiy,  are  expected  to  be  present. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  131 

For  reasons  of  state,  which  will  be  noticed  hereafter,  the 
emperor  rarely  shew^s  himself  in  public  among  the  Chinese 
part  of  his  subjects,  except  on  such  occasions ;  and  even  then 
the  exhibition  is  confined  %\  ithin  tiie  precincts  of  the  palace, 
from  which  the  populace  ai-e  entirely  excluded.  Consistent 
with  tlieir  system  of  sumptuaiy  laAVs,  tlicre  is  little  external 
appeanince  of  pomp  or  magnificence  in  the  establishment  of 
the  emperor.  The  buildings  that  compose  the  palace,  and  the 
furniture  within  them,  if  we  except  the  paint,  the  gilding,  and 
the  vaniish,  that  appeiu'  on  the  houses  of  cxcn  plebeians,  are 
equally  void  of  unnccessar}'  and  expensive  ornaments.  Those 
who  should  rely  on  the  florid  relations,  in  A\"hich  tlie  mission- 
aries and  some  travellers  have  indulged,  in  their  descriptions 
of  the  palaces  of  Pekin  and  those  of  Yuen-min-yuen,  would 
experiei"tce,  on  visiting  them,  a  woful  disappointment.  These 
buildings,  like  the  common  habitations  of  the  country,  ai'C  all 
modelled  after  the  form  of  a  tent,  and  are  magnificent  only  by 
a  comparison  Avith  the  others,  and  by  their  number,  ^\  hich  is 
sufficient,  indeed,  to  form  a  town  of  themsehes.  Their  walls 
iire  higher  than  those  of  ordinary  houses,  their  \\ooden  columns 
of  gi'eater  diameter,  their  roofs  are  immense,  and  a  greatcy 
variety  of  painting  and  gilding  may  be  bestowed  on  the  difA 
ferent  parts ;  but  none  of  them  exceeds  one  story  in  height ; 
and  they  are  jumbled  and  surrounded  with  mean  and  insigni- 
ficant hovels.  Some  \\Titer  has  observed  that  tlie  king  of 
England  is  worse  lodged  at  Saint  James's  palace  than  any  so- 
vereign in  Europe.  Were  I  to  compare  some  of  the  imperial 
palaces  in  China  to  any  royal  residence  in  Europe,  it  Mould 
certainly  be  to  Saint  James's ;  but  the  apartments,  tlie  ftn-ni- 
ture,  and  conveniences  of  the  latter,  bad  as  they  are,  infinitelv 
transcend  any  of  those  in  China.  The  stone  or  clay  floors 
are  indeed  sometimes  covered  with  a  carpet  of  English  broad- 
cloth, and  the  walls  papered  ;  but  they  have  no  glass  in  the 
windows,  no  stoves,  fire-places,  or  fire-grates  m  the  rooms  ; 
no  sofas,  bureaux,  chandeliers,  nor  looking-glasses;  no  book- 
cases, prints,  nor  paintings.  They  have  neither  curtains  nor 
slieets  to  their  beds  ;  a  bench  of  M'ood,  or  a  platform  of  brick- 
work, is  raised  in  an  alcove,  on  which  are  mats,  or  stufted 
mattresses,  hard  pillows,  or  cushions,  according  to  die  season 
of  tlie  yeai- ;  instead  of  doors  they  hiwe  usually  skreens,  made 
of  die  fibres  of  bamboo.  In  short,  the  wretched  lodgings  of 
tlie  state-officers  at  the  court  of  Versiiillcs,  in  the  time  of  the. 


132  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

French  monarchy,  were  princely  palaces,  in  comparison  of 
those  allotted  to  the  first  ministers  of  the  emperor  of  China,  in 
the  capital,  as  Avell  as  at  Yuen-min-yuen. 

When  attending  the  court,  on  public  occasions,  each  cour- 
tier takes  his  meal  alone,  in  his  solitary  cell,  on  a  small  square 
table,  croM  ded  \a  ith  bowls  of  rice  and  various  stews  ;  without 
lable-linen  or  napkins,  \\  ithout  knife,  fork,  or  spoon.  A  pair 
of  small  sticks,  or  the  quills  of  a  porcupine,  are  the  only  sub- 
stitutes for  these  com^enient  articles :  placing  the  bowl  under 
his  chin,  with  these  he  -throws  the  rice  into  his  mouth,  and 
takes  up  the  pieces  of  meat,  in  his  soup  or  stews.  Having 
finished  his  lonely  meal,  he  generally  lies  doMii  to  sleep.  In 
a  government  so  suspicious  as  that  of  China,  if  parties  were 
kno^Mi  to  meet  together,  the  object  of  them  might  be  sup- 
posed something  beyond  that  of  convi^'iality,  which,  however, 
mutual  jealousy  and  distrust  have  prevented  from  gi'owing 
into  common  use. 

As  the  ready  compliance  of  the  late  Dutch  embassadors 
with  all  the  degrading  ceremonies  required  by  the  Chinese, 
added  to  their  constant  residence  in  the  capital,  gave  them 
rnore  opportunities  of  observing  the  manners  and  the  amuse- 
onents  of  the  court  than  occurred  to  the  British  embassy,  I 
shall  here  avail  myself  of  that  pait  of  a  journal  relating  to  this 
subject,  which  vv'as  kept  by  a  young  gentleman  in  the  suite  of 
the  former,  and  whose  accuracy  of  observation  may  be  de- 
pended on.  The  account  given  by  him  of  the  new  year's 
festival,  added  to  Lord  Macartney's  description  of  his  intro- 
duction and  the  birth-day  solemnities,  ^\hich  his  lordship 
has  obligingly  permitted  me  to  extract  from  his  journal,  to- 
gether M"ith  my  own  observations  at  the  palace  of  Yuen-min- 
yuen,  vtdil  serve  to  convey  a  tolerably  exact  idea  of  the  state, 
pleasures,  and  amusements,  of  the  great  monarch  of  China. 

"  On  the  14th  September,"  observes  his  lordship,  "  at 
"  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  set  out  for  the  court,  under 
*'  the  convoy  of  Van-ta-gin  and  Chou-ta-gin,  and  reached  it 
^'  in  little  more  than  an  hour ;  the  distance  being  about  three 
^'  miles  from  our  hotel.  We  alighted  at  the  park-gate,  from 
"  whence  we  walked  to  the  imperial  encampment,  and  were 
"  conducted  to  a  large  handsome  tent  prepared  for  us,  on  one 
"  side  of  the  emperor's.  After  Avaiting  there  about  an  hour, 
^'  his  approach  was  announced  by  drums  and  music,  on  which 
''''  we  quitted  our  tent,  and  came  forward  upon  tlie  green 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  133 

**  carpet.  He  was  seated  in  an  open  palankeen,  carried  by  six- 
*'  teen  bearers,  attended  by  numbers  of  oHicers  bearing  flags, 
*'  standards,  and  umbrellas ;  and,  as  he  passed,  we  paid  liim 
"  our  compliments,  by  kneeling  on  one  knee,  whilst  all  the 
*'  Chinese  made  their  usual  prostrations.  iVs  soon  as  he  had 
*'  ascended  his  throne,  I  came  to  the  entrance  of  his  tent,  and, 
*'  holding  in  both  my  hands  a  lai'ge  gold  box,  enriched  with 
"  diamonds,  in  wliich  was  enclosed  the  king's  letter,  I  walked 
"  deliberately  up,  and,  ascending  the  steps  of  the  tlii^one,  deli- 
"  vered  it  into  die  emperor's  oavii  hands,  who,  ha\  ing  received 
''  it,  passed  it  to  the  minister,  by  ^vhom  it  was  placed  on  the 
"  cushion.  He  then  gave  me,  as  the  first  present  from  him  to 
"  his  majesty,  the  eu-shee,  or  symbol  of  peace  and  prosperity, 
*'  and  expressed  his  hopes  that  my  so\'ereign  and  he  should 
*'  always  live  in  good  coiTcspondencc  and  amit}-.  It  is  a 
*'  whitish  agate-looking  stone,  perhaps  serpentine,  about  a 
*'  foot  and  a  half  long,  curiously  carved,  and  highly  prized  by 
*'  the  Chinese  ;  but  to  me  it  does  not  appeiu*,  in  itself,  to  be  of 
*'  any  great  value. 

"  The  emperor  then  presented  me  with  an  eu-shee  of  a 
*'  greenish-coloured  seq^entine  stone,  and  of  the  same  emble- 
"  matic  character :  at  the  same  time  he  very  graciously  re- 
"  ceived  from  me  a  pair  of  beautiful  enamelled  watches,  set 
"  with  diamonds,  which,  having  looked  at,  he  passed  to  the 
"  minister. 

"  Sir  George  Staunton  (whom,  as  he  had  been  appointed 
"  minister  plenipotentiary,  to  act  in  case  of  my  deatli  or  de- 
"  parture,  I  introduced  to  him  as  such)  now  came  forward, 
*'  and  after  kneeling  upon  one  knee,  in  the  same  mamier  as  I 
"  had  done,  presented  to  him  two  elegant  air-gims,  and  re- 
"  ceived  from  him  an  eu-shee  of  greenish  stone,  nearly  similar 
"  to  mine.  Other  presents  ^vere  sent,  at  the  same  time,  to  all 
"  the  gendemen  of  my  train.  We  then  descended  from  the 
*'  steps  of  the  throne,  and  sat  do^vn  upon  cushions  at  one  of 
"  die  tables  on  the  emperor's  left-hand.  And  at  other  ta- 
"  bles,  according  to  their  difterent  ranks,  the  chief  Tartar 
*'  princes  and  the  mandaiins  of  the  court  at  the  same  time 
"  took  their  places;  all  dressed  in  the  proper  robes  of  their 
*'  respective  ranks.  These  tables  were  then  uncovered,  and 
"  exhibited  a  sumptuous  banquet.  The  emperor  sent  us  se- 
"  yeral  dishes  from  his  own  table,  together  with  some  liquors, 


134  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

*'  which  the  Chinese  call  wine ;  not  however  expressed  fi'om 
"  the  grape,  but  distilled  or  extracted  from  rice,  herbs,  and 
"  honey. 

"  In  about  hcilf  an  hour  he  sent  for  Sir  George  Staunton 
"  and  me  to  come  to  him,  and  gave  to  each  of  us,  with  his 
*'  owii  hands,  a  cup  of  \\arm  \\ine,  ^\liich  we  immediately 
"  drank  in  his  presence,  and  found  it  very  pleasant  and  com- 
*'  fortable,  the  moniing  being  cold  and  raw.  Among  other 
*'  things  he  asked  me  the  age  of  my  sovereign,  and,  being  in- 
*'  formed  of  it,  said  he  hoped  he  might  live  as  many  years  as 
"  himself,  which  w^ere  then  eighty-three.  His  manner  was 
*'  dignified,  but  affable  and  condescending ;  and  his  reception 
"  of  us  was  \ery  gracious  and  satisfactor}-. 

*'  The  order  and  regularity,  in  serving  and  removing  the 
"  dinner,  was  ^^'onderfuUy  exact,  and  every  function  of  the 
*'  ceremony  performed  with  such  silence  and  solemnity  as, 
*'  in  some  measure,  to  resemble  the  celebration  of  a  religious 
*'  myster}% 

"  There  were  present,  on  this  occasion,  tlii'ee  embassadors 
"  from  Ta-tze  or  Pegu,  and  six  Mahomedan  embassadors  from 
*'  the  Kalmucks  of  the  south-w  est ;  but  their  apj:)earance  was 
*'  not  very  splendid.  During  the  ceremony,  which  lasted  five 
*'  hours,  various  entertainments  of  WTCstling,  tumbling,  wire- 
*'  dancing,  together  Avith  dramatic  representations,  were  exhi- 
*'  bited  opposite  the  emperor's  tent ;  but  at  a  considerable  dis- 
"  tance  fi"om  it. 

"  The  17th  of  September,  being  the  emperor's  birth-day, 
"  w-e  set  out  for  the  court  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
*'■  conducted  by  Van-ta-gin,  Chou-ta-gin,  and  our  usual  at- 
"  tendants.  We  reposed  ourselves  about  two  hours,  in  a  large 
"  saloon,  at  the  enti'ance  of  the  palace  enclosure,  wdiere  fruit, 
*'  tea,  w^arm  milk,  and  other  refreshments,  w^ere  brought  to  us. 
"  At  last,  notice  w^as  given  that  the  festival  was  going  to  be- 
"  gin,  and  we  immediately  descended  into  the  garden,  Avhere 
"  w-e  found  all  the  great  men  and  mandaiins  in  their  robes  of 
"  state,  draw  n  up  before  the  imperial  pavilion.  The  emperor 
*'  did  not  shew  himself,  but  remained  concealed  behind  a 
*'  screen,  from  whence  I  presume  he  could  see  and  enjoy  the 
"  ceremonies,  without  inconvenience  or  interruption.  All  eyes 
**  were  turned  towai-ds  the  place  w'here  his  majesty  was  ima- 
^^'  gii;ed  to  be  entlironedj  and  seemed  to  express  an  imj^iatiencc 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  1.35 

*'  to  begin  the  devotions  of  the  da}'.  Slow,  solemn  music, 
*'  muffled  drums,  and  deep-toned  bells,  \\'ere  heard  at  a  dis- 
"  tance; — on  a  sudden  the  sounds  ceased,  and  all  was  still — 
*'  again  tliey  were  renewed,  and tlien  inteiTuittcd,  Mith  short 
"pauses;  during  which  several  persons  passed  backwards 
*'  and  forwai'ds,  in  die  proscenium  or  foreground  of  the  tent, 
"  as  if  engaged  in  pre^xu-ing  some  gi-and  coup-de-theatie. 

*'  At  length  the  gi'eat  band,  both  vocal  and  instrumental, 
*'  struck  up,  with  all  their  powers  of  hai-mony,  and  instantly 
**  the  whole  court  fell  flat  upon  their  faces  before  this  in\  Lsiblc 
*'  Nebuchadnezzar,  whilst 

••  He,  in  his  cloudy  tabernacle  shrined, 
"  Sojourned  the  while." 

*'  The  music  might  be  considered  as  a  soil  of  birth-day  ode, 
*'  or  state  anthem,  the  burdien  of  which  ^vas,  '  Bow  down  your 
"  heads,  all  ye  dwellers  upon  earth ;  bow  down  your  heads  be 
*'  fore  die  great  Kien-long,  the  great  Kien-long.'  And  then 
"  all  the  dwellers  upon  China-earth  there  present,  except  our- 
"  selves,  bowed  domi  their  heads,  and  prostrated  themselves 
*'  upon  the  ground,  at  every  renewal  of  the  chorus.  Indeed, 
"  in  no  religion,  either  ancient  or  modern,  has  the  divinity  ever 
"  been  addressed,  I  believe,  with  stronger  exterior  marks  of 
"  worship  and  adoration  than  were  this  morning  paid  to  the 
"  phantom  of  his  Chinese  majesty.  Such  is  the  mode  of  cele- 
*'  brating  the  emperor's  amiiversary  festival,  according  to  the 
*'  court  ritual.  \Ve  saw  nothing  of  him  the  whole  day;  nor 
"  did  any  of  his  ministers,  I  imagine,  approach  him ;  for  they 
"  all  seemed  to  retii'e  at  die  same  moment  that  we  did. 

"  In  the  course  of  a  tour  we  made  in  die  gardens,  Avith  the 
*'  prime  minister  and  other  great  officers  of  state,  whom  the 
"  emperor  had  directed  to  attend  us,  we  were  entertained  at 
*'  one  of  the  palaces  with  a  collation  of  petit-patis,  salt  relishes, 
"  and  other  savoury  dishes,  with  fi-uits  and  sweetmeats,  milk, 
*'  and  ice- water ;  imd  as  soon  as  we  rose  from  tiible,  a  number 
*'  of  yellow  boxes,  or  drawers,  were  carried  in  procession  be- 
"  fore  us,  containing  several  pieces  of  silk  and  porcelain,  which, 
"  we  >\-ere  told,  were  presents  to  us  from  the  emperor ;  and  we 
"  consequently  made  our  bows,  as  they  passed.  We  Mere  also 
*'  amused  with  a  Chinese  puppet-show,  which  differs  but  litde 
*'  from  an  English  one.  There  are  a  distressed  princess  con- 
"  fined  in  a  casde,  and  a  kni^ht-cmmt,  who,  after  fighting  wild 


135  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

"  beasts  and  dragons,  sets  her  at  libert}^  and  marries  her ; 
"  wedding-feasts,  justs,  and  tournaments.  Besides  these,  there 
"  was  also  a  comic  drama,  in  ^vhich  some  personages,  not  un- 
*'  like  Punch  and  his  wife,  Bandemeer  and  Scaramouch,  per- 
"  formed  capital  parts.  Tliis  puppet-show,  wc  were  told,  pro- 
**  perl}'  belongs  to  the  ladies'  apartments,  but  was  sent  out,  as 
"  a  piuticular  compliment,  to  entertain  us  :  one  of  the  perform- 
"  anccs  was  exhibited  with  great  applause  from  our  conductors, 
*'  and  I  understand  it  is  a  favourite  piece  at  court. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  18th  September  we  again  went  to 
*'  court,  in  consequence  of  an  invitation  from  the  emperor,  to 
"  see  the  Chinese  corned}",  and  other  diversions,  given  on  oc- 
"  casion  of  his  birth-day.  The  comedy  began  at  eight  o'clock, 
*'  and  lasted  till  noon.  The  emperor  was  seated  on  a  throne, 
"  opposite  the  stage,  which  projected  a  good  deal  into  the  pit. 
"  The  boxes  'srere  on  each  side,  -without  seats  or  divisions. 
*'  The  A\omen  A\ere  placed  above,  behind  the  lattices,  so  that 
"  the}'  might  enjoy  the  amusements  of  the  theati-e,  without  be- 
"  ing  observed. 

"  Soon  after  we  came  in,  the  emperor  sent  for  Sir  George 
*'  Staunton  and  me  to  attend  him,  and  told  us;  with  great 
"  condescension  of  manner,  that  we  ought  not  to  be  surprised 
"  to  see  a  man  of  his  age  at  the  theatre ;  for  that  he  seldora 
*'  came  there,  except  upon  a  very  paiticular  occasion  like  the 
"  present;  for  that,  considering  the  extent  of  his  dominions, 
"  and  tlie  number  of  his  subjects,  he  could  spare  but  little 
"  time  for  such  amusements.  I  endeavoured,  in  the  turn  of 
"  my  answer,  to  lead  him  to\\ards  the  subject  of  my  embassy ; 
"  but  he  seemed  not  disposed  to  enter  into  it  further  than  by 
"  delivering  me  a  little  box  of  old  japan,  in  the  bottom  of  which 
"  were  some  pieces  of  agate,  and  other  stones,  much  valued  by 
"  the  Chinese  and  Tartars  ;  and  at  the  top  a  small  book,  writ- 
'*  ten  and  painted  by  his  o^vn  hand,  which  he  desired  me  to 
"  present  to  the  king  m}'  master,  as  a  token  of  his  friendship, 
"  saying,  that  the  old  box  had  been  800  yeai-s  in  liis  family. 
"  He,  at  the  same  time,  ga^^e  me  a  book  for  myself,  also  -writ- 
*'  ten  and  painted  by  him.,  together  v^dth  seveiiil  purses  for 
*'  Areca  nut.  He  likewise  gave  a  purse  of  tlie  same  sort  to 
*'  Sir  George  Staunton,  and  sent  some  small  presents  to  the 
*'  other  gentlemen  of  the  embassy.  After  this,  several  pieces 
"  of  silk  or  porcelain,  but  seemingly  of  no  great  value,  were 
"  distributed  among  the  Tartar  princes  and  chief  courtiers. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  137 

who  appeared  to  receive  them  with  every  possible  demon, 
stratioii  of  humility  tuid  gratitude. 

*'  The  theatrical  entertainments  consisted  of  great  ^arict}-, 
both  tragical  imd  comiciil :  seveiTil  distinct  pieces  ^\^ere  acted 
in  succession,  tliough  u  ithout  any  apparent  connexion  with 
one  another.  Some  of  them  were  historical,  and  others  of 
pure  fancy,  paitly  in  recitati\'o,  partly  in  singing,  and  parth*  in 
plain  speaking,  without  any  accompaniment  of  instiumental 
music,  but  aboimding  in  battles,  murders,  and  most  of 
the  usual  incidents  of  the  drama.  Last  of  all  was  the  grand 
pantomime,  ^^■hich,  from  die  ajoprobation  it  met  with,  is,  I 
presume,  considered  as  a  iirst-ratc  effort  of  in^•ention  and  in- 
genuity. It  seemed  to  me,  as  far  as  I  could  comprehend 
it,  to  represent  the  man-iage  of  the  ocean  and  tlie  earth. 
The  latter  exhibited  her  \iu-ious  riches  and  {productions, 
dragons,  and  elephants,  and  tygers,  and  eagles,  and  ostrich- 
es, oaks  and  pines,  and  other  trees  of  different  kinds.  Tlie 
ocean  'was  not  behind  hand,  but  poured  fordi  on  tlie  stage 
the  wealth  of  his  dominions,  under  tlie  figures  of  ^\'hale3 
and  dolphins,  porpuses,  and  leviathans,  and  other  sea-mon- 
sters, besides  ships,  rocks,  shells,  spunges,  and  corals,  all 
performed  by  concciiled  actors,  who  ^\■ere  quite  perfect  in 
their  paits,  and  perfomied  their  characters  to  admiration. 
These  two  marine  aiul  land  regiments,  after  separatel}-  pa- 
radiiig  in  a  circular  procession  for  a  considerable  time,  at 
last  joined  together  and,  forming  one  body,  came  to  tlic  front 
of  the  stage  when,  after  a  few  cA'olutions,  they  opened  to 
the  right  and  left,  to  gi\'e  room  for  the  v.  hale,  who  seemed 
to  be  the  commanding  officer,  to  waddle  for\vard  ;  and  who, 
taking  his  station  exactly  opposite  to  the  emperor's  box, 
spouted  out  of  his  mouth,  into  the  pit,  sevenil  tons  of  water, 
Mhich  quickly  disappeared  through  die  perforations  of  the 
floor.  This  ejaculation  was  received  with  the  highest  ap- 
plause ;  and  two  or  three  of  the  great  men  at  my  elbo\A'  de- 
sired me  to  take  particulai'  notice  of  it ;  repeating,  at  the 
same  time,  '  Hao,  kung  liao  !' — '  charming,  delightful." 
"  A  little  before  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  mc retired,  an4 
at  four  we  returned  to  court,  to  see  the  c^'ening's  entertain- 
ments, which  were  exhibited  on  the  lawn,  in  licnt  of  the 
great  tent  or  pa^ilion,  a\  here  we  had  been  first  presented  to 
the  emperor.  He  lurived  very  soon  after  us,  mounted  his 
throne,  and  ga\-e  the  signal  to  begin.     We  had  now  wrest- 


138  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

"  ling  and  dancing,  and  tumbling  and  posture  making,  which 
"  appeared  to  us  particularly  awkwai'd  and  clumsy,  from  the 
"  perfomiers  being  mostly  dressed  according  to  the  Chinese 
"  costume,  one  insepai-able  part  of  which  is  a  pair  of  heavy 
"  quilted  boots,  with  the  soles  of  an  inch  tliick.  The  wresders, 
*'  however,  seemed  to  be  prett}-  expert,  and  afforded  much  di- 
"  version  to  such  as  were  admirers  of  tlie  palaestra. 

"  A  boy  climbed  up  a  pole,  or  bamboo,  thirty  or  forty  feet 
"  high,  played  se\'eral  gambols,  and  balanced  himself  on  the 
"  top  of  it,  in  vaiious  attitudes;  but  his  performance  fell  far 
"  short  of  what  I  have  often  met  with  in  India  of  the  same 

*'  A  fellow  lay  down  on  his  back,  and  then  raised  liis  feet, 
"  legs,  and  thighs  from  his  middle,  perpendiculaiiy,  so  as  to 
"  form  a  right  angle  widi  his  body.  On  tlie  soles  of  his  feet 
"  was  placed  a  large  round  empty  jar,  about  four  feet  long, 
"  and  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet  diameter.  This  he 
"  balanced  for  some  time,  turning  it  round  and  round  hori- 
"  zontail}^,  till  one  of  the  spectators  put  a  little  boy  into  it, 
"  who,  after  throwing  himself  into  various  postures  at  die 
"  mouth  of  it,  came  out  and  sat  on  the  top.  He  then  stood 
*'  up,  then  fell  fiat  upon  his  back,  then  shifted  to  his  belly,  and 
'*  after  shewing  a.  hundred  tricks  of  that  sort,  jumped  down 
"  upon  the  ground  and  relie^^cd  his  coadjutor. 

""  A  man  then  came  forwai'd,  and  after  fastening  tb'ee  slen- 
*'  der  sticks  to  each  of  his  boots,  took  six  porcelain  dishes,  of 
"  about  eighteen  inches  diameter,  and  b^ilancing  them  sepa- 
*'  rately,  at  the  end  of  a  little  ivory  rod,  \\hich  he  held  in  his 
"  hand,  and  tv/isting  them  about  for  some  time,  put  them,  one 
"  after  the  other,  upon  the  points  of  die  six  bootsticks  above- 
"  mentioned,  diey  continuing  to  turn  round  all  the  while.  He 
"  then  took  two  small  sticks  in  his  left  hand,  and  put  dishes 
"  upon  tliem  in  the  same  manner  as  upon  the  other,  and  also 
*'  one  more  upon  the  litde  finger  of  his  right-hand,  so  that  he 
*'  had  nine  dishes  annexed  to  him  at  once,  all  twirhng  together, 
"  which  in  a  few  minutes  he  took  off,  one  by  one,  and  placed 
"  them  regularly  on  the  ground,  without  the  slightest  inter- 
"  ruption  or  miscarriage. 

"  There  were  many  other  things  of  the  same  kind;  but  I 
*'  saw  none  at  all  comparable  to  the  tumbling,  rope-dancing, 
^'  wire-vv-alking,  and  stravz-balancing  of  Sadler's- Wells ;  nei- 
''  ther  did  I  obser\e  any  feats  of  equitation  in  the  style  of 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  139 

*'  Hughes's  and  Ashley's  amphitheatres,  although  I  had  been 
"  always  told  tliat  the  Tartars  wevQ  remarkably  skilful  in  the 
"  instruction  and  discipline  of  their  horses.     Last  of  all  \^-ere 
*'  the  fire-\\'orks,  which,  in  some  particulars,  exceeded  any 
**  thing  of  the  kind  I  had  ever  seen.     In  grandeur,  magniii- 
*'  cence,  and  variety,  they  were,  I  ow  n,  inferior  to  the  Chinese 
**  file- works  we  had  seen  at  Batavia,  but  infinitely  superior, 
*'  in  point  of  novelty,  neatness,  and  ingenuity  of  contrivance.^ 
*'  One  piece  of  machineiy  I  greatly  admired :  a  green  chest  of 
*'  five  feetsquai-e  was  hoisted  up  by  a  pulley  to  the  height  of 
"  fifty  or  sixty  feet  from  the  ground ;  the  bottom  was  so  con- 
*'  structed  as  then  suddenly  to  fall  out,  and  make  \\-ay  for  twenty 
*'  or  thirty  strings  of  lanterns,  inclosed  in  the  box,  to  descend 
*'  from  it,  unfolding  themselves  from  one  another  by  degrees, 
*'  so  as  at  last  to  form  a  collection  of  at  least  five  hundred,  each 
*'  having  a  light  of  a  beautifully-coloured  flame  burningbrightly 
*'  within  it.     This  devolution  and  development  of  lanterns 
*'  (w^hich  appeared  to  me  to  be  composed  of  gauze  and  paper) 
"  were  several  times  repeated,  and  every  time  exhibited  a  dif- 
"  ference  of  colour  and  figure.    On  each  side  was  a  correspon- 
*'  deuce  of  smaller  boxes,  which  opened  in  like  manner  as  the 
*'  others,  and  let  down  an  immense  network  of  fii-e,  with  di- 
"  visions  and  copartments  of  various  forms  and  dimensions, 
"  round  and  square,  hexagons,  octagons  and  lozenges,  which 
*'  shone  like  the  brightest  burnished  copper,  and  flashed,  like 
"  prismatic  lightning,  witli  every  impulse  of  the  ^vind.    Tiie 
"  diversity  of  colours,  indeed,  with  which  the  Chinese  ha\'e 
*'  the  secret  of  cloathing  fire,  seems  one  of  the  chief  merits  of 
**  tlieir  p}Totechny.    The  whole  concluded  with  a  volcano,  or 
"  genei"al  explosion  and  dischai-ge  of  suns  and  stars,  squibs, 
"  bouncei"s,  crackers,  rockets,  and  grenadoes,  which  in\  olved 
*'  the  gardens,  for  above  an  hour  after,  in  a  cloud  of  intolera- 
*'  ble  smoke.    AVhilst  these  entertainments  wjere  going  for- 
"  w^ard,  the  emperor  sent  to  us  a  vai'iety  of  refreshments ;  all 
"  which,  as  coming  from  him,  the  etiquette  of  the  court  re- 
"  quii-ed  us  to  partake  of,  although  we  had  dined  but  a  short 
"  time  before. 

"  However  meanly  w^e  must  think  of  the  taste  and  delicacy 

*'  of  the  court  of  China,  whose  most  refined  amusements  seem 

"to  be  chiefly  such  as  I  have  now  described,  together  with 

-*'  the  wretched  dramas  of  the  morning,  yet  it  must  be  confes- 

"  scd,  that  there  was  something  gi-and  and  imposing  in  the  ge- 


UO  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

"  neral  efiftct  that  resulted  from  the  whole  spectiiclc.  TliC 
"  emperor  himself  being  seat  jd  in  front,  upon  his  throne,  and 
"  all  his  great  men  and  officers  attending  in  their  robes  of  ce- 
*'  reniony,  and  stationed  on  each  side  of  him,  some  standing, 
"  some  sitting,  some  kneeling,  and  the  guaixls  and  standard- 
"  bearers  behind  them,  in  incalculable  numbers.  A  dead  si- 
"  lence  \\"as  rigidly  observed,  not  a  sellable  articulated,  nor  a 
*'  laugh  exploded,  during  the  whole  perfomiance." 

Such  V.  as  the  reception  and  the  entertainment  of  die  British 
embassador  at  the  court  of  Gehol,  in  Man-tchoo  Tartaiy,  dur- 
ing the  da}s  of  the  festi\'al  of  the  emperor's  anniversar)'-.  I 
iiovv"  proceed  to  gi\e  some  account  of  the  manner  in  %\hichthe 
Dutch  embassiidors  were  received,  and  the  entertainments  tliat 
took  place  on  the  occasion  of  the  festi^^al  of  the  new  year,  as 
related  in  the  manuscript  journal  above  alluded  to. 

This  journalist  observes  that,  on  approaching  the  capital  of 
tlie  empire,  they  \\ere  not  a  little  astonished  to  find  that  the 
farther  they  advanced  the  more  miserable  and  poor  wds  the  ap- 
parent condition  of  the  people,  and  the  face  of  the  country ; 
the  clay-buiit  huts  and  those  of  ill-burnt  bricks  were  crum- 
bling to  dust ;  the  temples  were  in  ruins,  the  earthen  gods  were 
demolished,  and  their  fragments  strewed  on  the  ground ;  and 
the  district  Wds  thinl}'  inhabited.  The  following  day  they  en- 
tered Pekin,  but  were  turned  out  again,  to  take  up  their  lodg- 
ings in  the  suburbs,  m  a  sort  of  stable.  From  this  place  they 
were  ordered  to  proceed  to  the  palace  in  their  old  travelling 
dresses,  as  their  baggage  ^\"as  not  yet  ai'rived.  They  \\-ere 
drawn  in  small  carts,  as  craz}-  and  as  much  out  of  order  as  their 
ov^n  dresses.  Sitting  in  the  bottom  of  these  carts,  without  any 
seats,  they  vraited  \\  ithin  the  walls  of  the  palace  a  full  hour, 
^vhile  an  empt\-  room  Avas  swept  out  for  their  reception.  HaA^- 
ing  remained  here  for  some  time,  a  few  planks  were  brought 
in,  on  wWch  were  aiTanged  a  number  of  dishes  of  meat  and 
fish,  stewed  in  different  ways.  Having  finished  their  repast, 
thus  ended  theu'  first  day's  visit. 

The  following  morning,  at  five  o'clock,  they  were  again 
summoned  to  court,  and  ushered  into  a  small  room  like  that  of 
the  preceding  da}-,  Mithout  any  kind  of  furniture.  The  weather 
iDeing  extremely  cold,  the  thennonieter  many  degrees  below 
the  freezing  point,  the  embassadors  prevailed  on  the  people  to 
make  a  little  fire,  which  after  some  time  was  brought  in,  not^ 
hoAvever  widiout  letting  them  understiuid  that  it  ^^as  an  extra- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  141 

ordinar}'^  mark  of  favour ;  it  Ix^ing  the  custom  of  the  Cl^.lncse 
to  let  all  embassadors  \vait  the  arri\al  of  the  emperor  in  the 
open  air. 

At  length  tlie  emperor  made  his  appcarajice,  carried  by 
eight  men,  in  a  yellow  sedan  chair.  On  his  approaching  the 
place  where  the  eml)assadors  and  their  suite  v.ere  standing, 
they  were  directed,  by  the  master  of  the  ceremonies,  to  {all 
down  on  their  knees,  and  in  this  posture  the  first  embassador 
was  instructed  to  hold,  in  both  his  han.ds,  above  his  head,  the 
gold  box  in  w  hieh  was  contained  the  letter  lor  the  emperor  : 
the  second  minister  then  steppctl  lbr\^•ards,  and  took  the 
letter  out  of  his  kinds,  which  he  delivered  to  the  emperor; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  they  were  directed  to  bow  their  heads 
nine  tim.es  to  the  ground,  in  token  of  acknowledgment  for 
the  gracious  reception  they  had  met  \\  ith  from  his  Chinese 
majesty. 

This  ceremony  being  ended,  they  were  desired  to  follow 
the  emperor's  chair,  which  w  as  can'ied  to  the  side  of  a  pond 
or  bason  in  the  gardens,  then  frozen  over.  From  this  place 
the  emperor  was  ch-a\\n  on  a  sledge  to  a  tent  pitched  on  the 
ice,  A\hilst  the  embassador  and  his  suite  were  conducted  into 
a  dirty  ho\'el,  little  better  than  a  pig- sty,  where  they  \\-ere  de- 
sired to  sit  doAHi  on  a  sort  of  bench  built  of  stone  and  mor- 
tar ;  for,  like  the  room  they  a\  ere  put  into  on  a  former  dav, 
it  was  destitute  of  the  least  furniture  ;  and  thev  were  told 
that  something  presently  ^Aould  be  brought  for  "tliem  to  eat. 
On  complaining  to  their  conductors  that  this  v.as  not  the  man- 
ner in  which  the}"  were  accustomed  to  sit  down  to  meat,  and 
that  they  did  not  conceive  such  apiirtments  to  be  at  a.ll  suitable 
to  the  situation  they  had  the  honour  to  hold,  they  -were  shortly 
aftenvards  conducted  into  another  room,  little  better,  ho^vevcr, 
than  the  first,  but  partly  furnished  with  a  few  old  chairs  and 
tiibles.  The  candlesticks  were  small  blocks  of  \^ood,  to  Avhich 
the  candles  were  fastened  with  a  couple  of  nail;,.  A  fewdislies 
of  stewed  meat  ^-ere  ser\'cd  up  ;  and,  as  a  great  delicacy  froFii 
the  emperor's  table,  were  !:)rought  in,  without  any  dish,'  a  pair 
of  stiig's  legs,  which  the  Chinese  threw  down  upon  the  naked 
table  :  and  lor  this  mark  of  imperial  £ivour  they  'w  ere  required 
to  make  the  customar}^  genuflections  aiid  nine  prostrations. 

Van  Bniam,  in  the  journal  which  he  or  some  of  his  friends 
published  in  Pai-is,  gjvesa  curious  account  of  the  manner  in 
^vhieh  they  were  fed  from  the  emperor's  table  :  "  La  viLinde,:' 


U2  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

says  he,  "  consistait  en  un  morceau  de  cotes,  siir  lequel  il 
"  ny  avait  point  un  demi-pouce  d'ep^sseur  d'une  chair 
"  maigi-e,  en  un  petit  os  de  I'epaule,  ou  il  n'y  avait  presque  pas 
"  de  chair,  et  en  quati-e  ou  cinq  autres  ossemens  fournis  par 
"  le  dos  ou  par  les  pattes  d'un  mouton,  et  qui  semblaient  avoir 
"  ete  deja  rongcs.  Tout  ce  degoutant  ensemble  etait  sur  un 
"  plat  sale,  et  paraissait  plutot  destine  a  faire  le  regal  d'un 
"  chien  que  le  repas  d'un  homme.  En  Hollande  le  dernier  des 
^'  niendians  recevrait,  dans  un  hOpital,  une  pittance  plus 
"  propre ;  et  cepcndant,  c'est  une  marque  d'honneur  de  la 
"part  d'un  cmpereur  en  vers  un  ambassadeur!  Peut-etre 
"  raejne  etait-ce  le  reste  du  prince;  et  dans  ce  cas,  selon 
"  I'opinion  des  Chinois,  c'etait  ie  dernier  terme  de  la  faveur, 
'^  puisque  nous  pouvions  achever  I'os  que  sa  majeste  avait 
"  commencee  a  nettoyer." — "  The  meat  consisted  of  a  small 
"  piece  of  the  ribs,  on  which  there  \\'as  not  half  an  inch  in 
*'  thickness  of  lean  flesh,  and  a  small  shoulder-blade  almost 
"  without  any  upon  it,  and  in  four  or  five  other  pieces  of 
"  bones  from  the  back  or  the  legs  of  a  sheep,  which  appeared 
*'  to  liave  been  already  gnawed.  The  whole  of  this  disgust- 
"  ing  mess  was  brought  upon  a  diity  plate,  and  seemed  much 
"  rather  intended  to  feast  a  dog  than  as  a  refreshment  for  man. 
"  In  Holland,  the  meanest  beggar  would  receive  in  an  hospital 
"  his  allowance  in  a  neater  manner;  and  )'et  it  was  intended 
*'  as  a  mark  of  honour  on  the  part  of  an  emperor  towards  an 
*'  embassador !  Perhaps  it  was  even  the  remains  of  the  so- 
"  ^ereign,  and  in  that  case,  according  to  the  opinion  of  the 
"  Chinese,  it  was  the  greatest  possible  act  of  favour,  since  we 
"  should  then  have  had  an  opportunity  of  finishing  the  bone 
"  which  his  imperial  majesty  had  begun  to  pick." 

The  Dutch  gentlemen,  equally  disgusted  with  the  meanness 
and  filthiness  of  the  place,  and  with  the  pride  and  haughtiness 
of  the  people,  became  now  reconciled  to  the  shabby  appearance 
of  their  old  tnr/elling  dresses,  which  they  began  to  consider 
as  fully  good  enough  for  the  occasion. 

liming  finished  their  elegant  repast,  the  amusements  of  tlic 
day  commenced  on  the  ice.  The  emperor  made  his  appearance 
in  a  sort  of  sledge,  supported  by  the  figures  of  four  dragons. 
Tills  machine  was  moved  about  by  several  great  mandarins, 
some  dragging  before,  and  others  pushing  behind.  The  four 
principal  ministers  of  state  vv^ere  also  dva^vn  upon  the  ice,  in 
their  sledges,  by  inferior  mandarins.     Whole  ti'oops  of  civil 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  143 

and  militaiy  officers  soon  appeared,  some  on  sledges,  some  on 
skaits,  and  others  playing  at  football  upon  the  ice ;  and  he  that 
picked  up  the  ball  \\as  rewarded  by  the  emperor.  I'hc  ball 
was  then  hung  up  in  a  kind  of"  arch,  luid  several  mandarins 
shot  at  it,  in  passing  on  skaits,  Avitli  their  bows  and  aiTows. 
Their  skaits  were  cut  off  short  under  tlie  heel,  and  the  fore- 
part was  turned  up  at  right  angles.  0\v ing  to  this  form,  or 
to  the  inexpertness  of  the  skaitcrs,  they  could  not  stop  them- 
selves on  a  sudden,  but  always  tumbled  one  over  the  other 
whenever  they  came  near  tlie  edge  of  the  ice,  or  towards  the 
quarter  \Ahere  the  emperor  happened  to  be. 

Leaving  this  place,  they  were  ciuried  tlirough  several  nar- 
row streets,  composed  of  miserable  houses,  forming  a  surpris- 
ing contrast  a\  ith  the  proud  walls  of  the  palace.  They  were 
conducted  into  a  small  room  of  one  of  these  houses,  almost 
void  of  furniture,  in  order  to  pay  their  compliments  to  Ho- 
tchung-tang,  the  collao,  or  prime  minister,  whom  they  found 
sittnig  cross-legged  on  a  truckle-bedstead  w  ith  cane  bottom. 
Before  this  creature  of  fortune,  whose  fate  I  shall  have  occasion 
hereafter  to  notice,  they  Mere  obliged  to  go  down  on  their 
knees.  Like  a  true  prime  minister  of  China,  he  waved  all 
conversation  tliat  might  lead  tow^ards  business,  talked  to 
tliem  of  the  length  of  their  join'ney,  was  astonished  hoM'-  thev 
bore  the  cold  weather  in  such  scanty  clothing,  and  such  like 
general  topics,  which,  in  fact,  signified  nothing.  From  the 
first  minister  they  paid  tlieir  visit  to  the  second,  ^^■hom  thev 
found  lodged  in  a  similar  manner ;  after  which  they  returned 
to  their  mean  apartments  in  the  cit}%  more  satisfied  on  a  com- 
parison with  the  miserable  little  chambers  in  \\hich  diey  had 
found  the  t\^o  first  ministers  of  this  far-famed  empire  lodged, 
and  the  mean  hovels  which  they  met  with  in  the  ver}-  center 
of  the  space  shut  in  by  the  walls  of  the  imperial  palace.  The 
impressions  that  the  events  and  transactions  of  this  day  made 
on  the  minds  of  the  visitors  were  those  of  utter  astonishment, 
on  finding  every  thing  so  very  much  the  re\^erse  of  w  hat  they 
had  been  led  to  expect. 

The  follo\\ing day  they  were  again  d^a^•»^l  to  court  in  their 
little  carts,  before  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  where,  after 
having  waited  about  five  hours  in  empty  rooms,  similar  to 
those  of  the  preceding  da}-,  two  or  three  great  men  (ta-gin) 
called  upon  them,  but  beha\ed  towards  them  in  a  distant, 
scornful,  and  haughty  manner.     "  We  had  pnce  more,"  ob- 


144  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

senses  the  Dutch  journalist,  from  -which  I  quote,  "  an  occasion 
*'  to  remark  the  surprising  contrast  of  magnificence  and  mean- 
"  ness  in  the  buildings,  and  of  pride  and  littleness  in  the  per- 
"  sons  belonging  to  the  imperial  palace. " 

After  these  intervie^vs,  they  \Aere  suffered  to  remain  a  day 
or  two  at  home ;  but,  on  a  bag  of  dried  grapes  being  brought 
by  a  mandarin  from  the  emperor,  they  v^cyc  required  to  thank 
him  for  the  present  \\  ith  nine  prostrations,  as  usual.  Another 
time,  a  little  pastry,  from  the  im]:)erial  kitchen,  demanded  the 
same  ceremony.  In  short,  v*  hctht  r  at  home  or  in  the  palace, 
the  Chinese  \\ere  determined  they  should  be  kept  in  the  con- 
stant practice  of  tlie  koo-too,  or  ceremony  of  genuflexion  and 
prostration. 

On  the  2Gth  of  January,  the  embassadors  received  notice 
that  it  v.as  expected  they  should  attend  the  procession  of  the 
emperor  to  tlx:  temple,  Avhere  he  Wds  about  to  make  an  offer- 
ing to  the  God  of  lieaven  and  of  eaith.  Having  -waited  accord 
ingiy  by  the  road  side,  from  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  till 
six,  the  A\eather  dismally  cold,  Fidirenlieit's  thermometer 
standing  at  16^^  below  the  freezing  point,  the  emperor  at 
length  passed  in  his  chair,  Vvhen  they  made  the  usual  prostra- 
tions, aiid  returned  home. 

The  next  morning  they  were  again  requu'ed  to  proceed  to 
the  samiC  place,  and  at  the  same  early  hour,  to  witness  his  re- 
turn, and  again  to  go  tlirough^the  usual  ceremony. 

On  the  29th,  the\'  A\-ere  again  summoned  to  attend  by  the 
road  side,  to  do  homage  before  the  emperor,  as  he  passed 
them  on  his  way  to  a  pagoda  or  poo-ta-la,  a  kind  of  temple  or 
nionastei-}-,  where  a  great  number  of  priests,  clothed  in  yel- 
low, lived  together  in  a  state  of  celibacy ;  and  here  he  made 
his  bumt-offerings.  The  mystical  rites  perfonned,  presents 
were  brought  out  for  the  embassador  and  suite,  and  also  for 
the  king  of  Holland  !  consisting  of  little  purses,  flimsy  silks, 
and  a  coarse  stuff,  somewhat  similar  to  that  knoA\^n  by  seamen 
under  the  name  of  bunting ;  and,  in  token  of  gratitude  for  this 
mark  of  imperial  kindness,  they  ^vere  directed  again  to  bow 
do-«Ti  their  heads  to  the  ground. 

On  the  30th,  it  was  announced  to  them  that  the  emperor 
intended  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  palace  at  Yuen-min-yuen,  and 
that  it  Avould  be  necessary  for  them  to  follo^v  him  thither ; 
after  ha\'ing,  as  usual,  paid  their  respects,  in  the  Chinese  man. 
Her,  by  the  road  side,  as  he  passed. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  145 

On  the  31st,  they  were  conducted  round  the  grounds  of 
Yuen-min-yuen  by  several  mandai  ins,  and  received  great  siiis- 
fection  in  viewing  the  vast  variet}'^  of  buildings,  and  the  good 
taste  in  which  the  gardens  and  pleasure-grounds  were  laid  out, 
and  which  wore  an  agreeable  aspect,  even  in  the  deptli  of  win- 
ter. In  one  of  the  buildings  they  saw  the  se^'eral  presents  de- 
posited, w hich  had  been  canied  the  preceding }ear  by  the  caii 
of  Macartney.  They  were  stowed  a\\\ay  w  ith  no  gieat  care, 
among  many  other  articles,  in  all  probability  never  more  to  see 
the  light  of  day.  It  seems  tlie  elegant  caniages  of  HatcliCt, 
that  were  finished  A\'ith  so  much  care,  and  had  been  objects  of 
admiration  even  in  London,  \\-ere  here  carelessly  thrown  behind 
one  of  their  mean  and  clumsy  carts,  to  ^\  hich  they  pretended  to 
bestow  a  preference.  Capricious  as  children,  the  toy,  once 
played  Avith,  must  be  throw  n  aside,  and  changed  for  something 
new ;  or,  in  this  instance,  it  would  not  be  out  of  chaActer  to 
suppose,  that  the  two  vehicles  had  designedly  been  placed  to- 
gether, to  point  out  to  Europeans  of  how  little  estimation  the 
Chinese  considered  their  articles  of  ostentation,  when  they 
could  perform  the  same  services  by  simpler  and  less  expensive 
means. 

The  Dutch  embassadors  and  their  suite  were  now  to  have  a 
specimen  of  the  coiut  entertainments,  and  the  polite  amuse- 
ments of  this  grand  empire.  They  consisted  chiefly  of  the  con- 
tortions of  the  human  body,  practised  by  posture-masters ;  of 
rope-dancing,  and  a  sort  of  pantomimic  perfoiTnajice,  the  prin- 
cipal characters  of  A\hich  were  men  dressed  in  skins,  and  going 
on  all-fours,  intended  to  represent  wild  beasts ;  and  a  paixel  of 
boys  habited  in  the  dresses  of  mandarins,  who  were  to  hunt 
them.  This  extraordinary  chase,  and  the  music,  and  the  rope- 
dancing,  put  the  emperor  into  such  good  humour,  that  he  re- 
warded the  perfonners  very  liberally.  And  the  empress  and 
the  ladies,  ^vho  were  in  an  upper  pait  of  the  house,  concealed 
behind  a  sort  of  Venetian  blinds,  appeared,  from  their  tittering 
noise,  to  be  highly  entertained.  The  whole  concluded,  though 
in  the  middle  of  tlie  day,  with  a  vaiiety  of  fire- works ;  and  die 
Chinese  part  of  the  company  departed,  seemingly  well  satisfied 
with  these  diversions. 

An  eclipse  of  the  moon  happening  on  the  fourth  of  February, 
gave  occasion  to  the  embassadors  to  enjoy  a  little  rest  at  home, 
though  they  were  summoned  to  attend  the  palace  at  a  very 
early  hour  in  the  morning*    The  emperor  and  his  mandaiins 

T 


146  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

were  engaged  the  whole  day  in  ^evoutly  praying  tlie  gods  that 
the  moon  might  not  be  eaten  up  by  the  great  dragon  that  was 
hovering  about  her.  Recovered  from  their  apprehensions,  an 
entertainment  was  given  tlie  follo^ving  day,  at  w  hich  the  em- 
bassadors Avere  required  to  be  present.  After  a  number  of 
juggling  tricks  and  infantine  sports,  a  pantomime,  intended  to 
be  an  exhibition  of  the  battle  of  the  dragon  and  the  moon,  was 
represented  before  the  full  court.  In  tliis  engagement  two  or 
tiiree  hundred  priests,  bearing  lanterns  suspended  at  the  ends 
of  long  sticks,  perfonned  a  variety  of  evolutions,  dancing  and 
capering  about,  sometimes  over  the  plain,  and  then  over  chairs 
and  tables,  airording  to  his  imperiiJ  majesty,  and  to  his  cour- 
tiers, the  greatest  pleasure  and  satisfaction. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  Februarj^,  the  Dutch  embassadors  left 
Pekin,  having  remained  there  tliirty-six  days ;  during  which 
they  were  scarcely  allowed  to  have  a  single  day's  rest ;  but 
were  obliged,  at  the  most  unseasonable  hours,  in  the  depth  of 
\i  inter,  when  tlie  thermometer  was  seldom  higher  than  10  or 
12  degrees  below  the  freezing  point,  to  dance  attendance  upon 
the  emperor,  and  tlie  great  officers  of  state,  whenever  tJiey 
might  think  fit  to  call  upon  them ;  and  to  submit  to  the  de- 
gi'ading  ceremony  of  knocking  the  head  nine  times  against  the 
ground,  at  least  on  thirty  different  occasions,  without  having 
the  satisfaction  of  gaining,  by  tiiis  unconditional  compliance, 
any  one  eai-thly  thing,  beyond  a  compliment  from  the  emperor, 
that  they  \^ent  through  their  prostrations  to  admiration !  And 
they  'VA-ere  finally  obliged  to  leave  the  capital,  without  being 
once  alio^\■ed  to  spealv  on  any  kind  of  business,  or  even  asked 
a  single  question  as  to  the  nature  of  their  mission ;  which,  in- 
deed, the  Chinese  were  determined  to  take  for  granted  was 
purely  complimentarv^  to  their  gi^eat  emperor. 

Tlie  manuscript,  I  quote  fi-om,  describes  minutely  all  the 
pantomimic  performances,  the  tricks  of  conjurers  and  jugglers, 
arid  tlie  feats  of  posture-masters ;  but  as  they  seem  to  be  pretty 
much  of  the  same  kind  as  were  exhibited  before  the  British 
embassy  in  Tartaiy,  as  described  by  Lord  Macartney,  I  for- 
bear to  relate  them.  Enough  has  Ixen  said,  to  shew  the  taste 
of  the  court  in  this  respect,  and  the  state  of  the  drama  in  China. 

I  suspect,  however,  that  the  amusements  of  tlie  theatre  have 
in  some  degree  degenerated  at  court  since  the  time  of  the 
Tartar  conquest.  Dancing,  riding,  ^\Testling,  and  posture- 
maiving,  are  more  congenial  to  tlie  rude  and  unpolished  Tartar 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA/  UT 

than  the  airs  and  dialogue  of  a  regular  drama,  which  is  bctler 
suited  to  the  genius  and  spirit  of  the  ceremonious  and  eft'emi- 
nate  Chinese.  I  am  led  to  this  obsenation  from  the  very  com- 
mon custom,  among  the  Cliincse  officers  of  state,  of  having 
private  theati'cs  in  tlieir  houses,  in  whicli,  instead  of  tlie  jug- 
gling tricks  above-mentioned,  they  occasionally  entertain  their 
guests  with  regular  dramatic  performances.  In  die  course  of 
our  journey  dirough  the  country  and  at  Canton,  we  were  en- 
tertained with  a  number  of  exhibitions  of  this  kind ;  and  as 
"  the  purpose  of  playing,"  as  our  immortal  bard  has  observed, 
"  bodi  at  the  first,  and  now,  ^^•as,  and  is,  to  hold  as  't  were  the 
*'  mirror  up  to  nature,"  it  may  not  be  foreign  to  the  present 
subject  to  take  a  brief  notice  of  such  peiibrmances. 

The  subjects  of  the  pieces  exhibited  ai-e,  for  the  most  pait, 
historical ;  and  relate,  generally,  to  the  ti-ansactions  of  remote 
periods :   in  which  cases,  the  dresses  ai"e  confonnable  to  the 
ancient  costume  of  China.    There  are  odiei-s,  hoA\'e\'er,  that 
represent  the  Tartar  concjuest ;   but  none  built  on  historical 
events  subsequent  to  that  period.     But  the  ancient  drama  is 
prefeiTed  by  the  critics.    They  ha^■e  also  comic  pieces,  in 
which  there  is  alwa}'s  a  buffoon,  A\hose  grimaces  and  lo\\-  jests, 
like  those  of  the  buffoons  in  our  own  theatres,  obtain  from  die 
audience  the  greatest  shai-e  of  applause.    The  dialogue,  in  all 
their  dramas,  whether  serious  or  comic,  is  conducted  in  a 
kind  of  monotonous  recitative ;  sometimes,  howev^er,  rising 
or  sinking  a  few  tones,  ^\"llich  are  meant  to  be  expresshe  of 
passionate  or  querulous  cadences.    Tiie  speaker  is  interrupted 
at  inter\'als  by  shrill  harsh  music,  generally  of  a\ ind  instiu- 
ments ;  and  die  pauses  ai'c  in\'ariably  filled  up  v.  ith  a  loud 
crash,  aided  by  the  sonorous  and  deafening  gong,  and  some- 
times by  the  kettle  drum :  an  air  or  song  generally  follows. 
Joy,  grief,  rage,  despair,  madness,  are  all  attempted  to  be  ex- 
pressed in  song,  on  the  Chinese  stage.     I  am  not  sure  that  a 
vehement  admirer  of  die  Italian  opera  might  not  take  umbrage 
at  die  representation  of  a  Chinese  drama ;  as  it  appeal's  to  be 
something  so  veiy  like  a  burlesque  on  that  fashionable  species 
of  dramatic  entertainment :  nor  is  the  Chinese  stage  wanting 
in  those  vocal  warblers,  die  nature  of  whom,  as  ^ve  are  told  by 
the  ingenious  and  very^  entertaining  Martin  Sherlock,  a  French 
lady  explained  to  her  little  inquisitive  daughter,  by  informing 
her,  that  there  was  the  same  difference  between  them  and  men, 
as  between  an  ox  and  a  bull.     Such  creatures  are,  indeed. 


148  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

more  necessaiy  to  the  Chinese  theatre ;  as  the  manners  of  the 
conntry  prohibit  women  from  appearing  in  pubhc. 

The  unity  of  action  is  so  far  preserved,  tliat  they  have  actu- 
ally no  change  of  scene :  but  change  of  place  must  frequently 
be  supposed.  To  assist  tlie  imngination,  in  this  respect,  their 
management  is  \\  himsical  enough.  If  it  be  necessaiy  to  send 
a  general  on  a  distant  expedition,  he  mounts  a  stick,  takes  two 
or  three  turns  round  the  stage,  brandishes  a  litde  whip,  and 
sings  a  song :  when  this  is  ended,  he  stops  short,  and  recom- 
mences his  recitative,  A\hen  the  journey  Is  supposed  to  be  per- 
formed. The  want  of  scenery  is  sometimes  supplied  t)y  a  very 
unclassical  figure,  which,  just  the  reverse  of  the  prosopopoeia, 
or  personification  of  grammarians,  considers  persons  to  repre- 
sent things.  If,  for  instance,  a  wailed  city  is  to  be  stormed, 
a  parcel  of  soldiers,  piling  themselves  on  a  heap  across  the 
stage,  are  supposed  to  represent  the  wall  over  ^vllich  the  storm- 
ing party  is  to  scramble.  This  puts  one  in  mind  of  the  shifts 
of  Nick  'Bottom.  "  Some  man  or  other  must  present  wall ;" 
and  "  let  him  have  some  plaister,  or  some  loam,  or  some 
"  rough-cast  about  him,  to  signify  wall." 

TJie  audience  is  never  left  in  doubt  as  to  the  character  which 
is  produced  before  it.  LilvC  the  ancient  Greek  di^ama,  and,  in 
imitation  thereof,  all  our  old  plays,  the  dramatis  personae  intro- 
duce tlicmstives,  in  appropriate  speeches,  to  the  acquaintance 
of  the  spectators. 

A^to  the  time  of  action,  a  single  drama  v^'ill  sometimes  in- 
clude the  trar^sactions  of  a  Avhole  century,  or  even  of  a  dynasty, 
more  than  twice  the  length  of  that  period ;  which,  among  ot*ier 
absui  dities,  gave  Voltaire  occasion  to  compare  \\'hat  he  thought 
to  be  a  literal  translation  of  the  ''  Orphan  of  tlie  House  of 
Tchao,"  "  to  those  monstrous  farces  of  Shakespear,  which 
"  have  been  called  tragedies:"  farces,  however,  which  will 
continue  to  be  readj  by  those  who  understand  them,  which  he 
did  not,  A\-ith  heartfelt  emotion  and  delight,  when  his  "  Orphan 
of  China"  shall  have  sunk  mto  the  neglect  even  of  his  own  ad- 
miring countrymen. 

In  this  miserable  composition  of  Father  Premare,  for  it  can 
scarcely  be  called  a  tiimslation,  there  is  neither  diction,  nor 
sentiment,  nor  character :  it  is  a  mere  tissue  of  unnatural,  or, 
at  least,  veiy  improbable  events ;  fit  only  for  the  amusement 
of  children,  and  not  capable  of  raising  one  single  passion,  but 
that  of  contempt  for  tlic  taste  of  those  who  could  express  an 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  149 

admiration  of  such  a  composition.  The  denouement  of  the 
piece  is  materially  assisted  by  means  of  a  dog.  But  tliis  part 
of  the  story  is  told,  and  not  exhibited :  the  Chinese  taste  not 
being  quite  so  depraved,  in  this  instance,  as  to  admit  tlie  per- 
formance of  a  four-footed  animal  on  the  stage. 

This  drama,  widi  ninety-nine  odiers,  publish.ed  together  in 
one  work,  are  considered  as  the  classical  stock-pieces  of  the 
Chmese  stage ;  but,  like  ourselves,  they  complain  that  a  de- 
praved taste  prevails  for  modern  productions,  very  inferior  to 
those  of  ancient  date.  It  is  certaiul}^  true,  that  e^'ery  sort  of 
ribaldry  and  obscenit}'-  are  encouraged  on  the  Chinese  stage  at 
the  present  day.  A  set  of  players,  of  a  superior  kind,  travel 
occasionally  from  Nankin  to  Canton ;  at  die  latter  of  which 
cities,  it  seems,  they  meet  with  considerable  encouragement 
from  die  Hong  merchants,  and  other  wealthy  inhabitants.  At 
these  exhilDitions,  the  English  ai'e  sometimes  present.  The 
subject  and  die  conduct  of  one  of  their  stock-pieces,  which, 
being  a  great  favourite,  is  frequently  repeated,  are  so  remark- 
able, that  I  cannot  forbear  taking  some  notice  of  it.  A  wo- 
man, being  tempted  to  murder  her  husband,  performs  the  act, 
whilst  he  is  asleep,  by  striking  a  small  hatchet  into  his  fore- 
head. He  appeal's  on  the  stage  \\'ith  a  large  gash  just  above 
the  eyes,  out  of  A\"liich  issues  a  prodigious  effusion  of  blood, 
reels  about  for  some  time,  bemoaning  his  lamentable  fate  in  a 
song,  till,  exhausted  by  loss  of  blood,  he  falls  and  dies.  The 
woman  is  seized,  brought  before  a  magistrate,  and  condemned 
to  be  flayed  alive.  The  sentence  is  put  in  execution ;  and,  in 
the  following  act,  she  appears  upon  the  stage,  not  only  naked, 
but  completely  excoriated.  The  thin  ^^•rapper  with  which  the 
creature  (ai)  eunuch)  is  covered,  \\"ho  sustains  the  part,  is 
sti'ctched  so  tight  about  the  body,  and  so  well  painted,  as  to 
represent  the  disgusting  object  of  a  human  being  deprived  of 
its  skin :  and  in  this  condition  the  character  sings,  or,  more 
properly  speaking,  \\  liiiies,  nearl}'  hdf  an  hour  on  the  stage, 
to  excite  the  compassion  of  three  infernal  or  malignant  spirits, 
who,  like  iEacus,  Minos,  and  Rliadamanthus,  sit  in  judgment 
on  her  future  destiny.  I  have  been  informed  that  it  is  scaicely 
possible  to  conceive  a  more  obscene,  indelicate,  and  disgust- 
ing object,  than  this  favourite  exhibition,  ^\'hich,  if  intended 
*'  to  hold  the  muror  up  to  nature,"  it  is  to  nature  in  its  most 
gross,  rude,  and  uncivilized  state,  ill-agi-eeing  with  the  boasted 
morality,  high  polish,  refined  delicacy,  and  ceremonious  ex  • 


150  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

terior  of  the  Chinese  nittion  :  but  it  tends,  among  other  parti 
of  their  real  conduct  in  life,  to  strengthen  an  obsen^ation  I  have 
already  made,  with  regard  to  their  filial  piety,  and  which, 
with  few  exceptions,  may  perhaps  be  extended  to  most  of 
their  ciAil  and  moral  institutions,  "  that  they  exist  more  in 
"  state  maxims,  than  in  the  minds  of  the  people."  As,  how- 
ever, a  Chinese  might  be  led  to  make  similar  reflections  on 
the  exhibition  of  Harlequin  Skeleton,  and  those  numerous 
representations  that,  of  late  years,  have  crept  upon  our  own 
stitge,  where  ghosts,  hobgoblins,  and  bleeding,  statues,  are 
called  in  aid  of  the  spectacle,  I  should  hesitate  to  draw  any 
general  conclusion,  with  regard  to  their  taste,  from  the  parti- 
cular exhibition  of  a  woman  finked  alive,  were  they  not  in 
the  constant  practice  of  performing  other  pieces  that,  in  point 
of  immorality  and  obscenity,  are  still  infinitely  worse ;  so  vul- 
gai-ly  indelicate,  and  so  filthy,  that  the  European  part  of  the 
audience  is  sometimes  compelled,  by  disgust,  to  leave  the 
theatre.  These  are  such  as  Vvill  not  bear  description ;  nor  do 
I  know  to  what  scenic  representations  they  can,  v/ith  propriety, 
be  compared,  unless  to  those  gross  indecencies  of  Theodora, 
which  Procopius  has  described  to  ha\'e  been  exhibited  on  the 
Roman  stage,  in  the  reign  of  Justinian.*  The  people  who 
encourage  them  must  be  sunk  ver}?-  deeply  in  intellectual  gross- 
ness,  and  lia\e  totally  lost  sight  of  all  decency.  These  and 
similar  scenes  may  be  considered  among  the  ill  eflfects  of  ex- 
cluding A\-omen  from  their  due  share  of  influence  in  societ)'. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  compliment  the  court  of  Pekin 
on  the  elegance  and  refinement  of  its  entertiinments,  but  at 
the  expense  of  trutli  and  reason.  Those  of  Taitar  origin  will 
no  more  beai'  a  comparison  with  the  noble  contests  of  strength 
and  agiHty,  displayed  by  the  old  hardy  Romans  in  the  Circen- 
sian  games,  than  the  regular  drama  of  the  Chinese  \vill  admit 
of  bemg  measured  by  the  sofl:er,  but  more  refined  and  rational, 
amusements,  of  a  similar  kind,  in  Europe.  It  is  true,  the 
scenic  representations,  in  the  decline  of  the  Roman  empire, 
as  tJiey  are  descril:>ed  to  us,  appear  to  have  been  as  rude  and 
bai'barous  as  those  of  the  Chinese.  They  began  by  exhibit- 
ing, in  their  vast  amphitheatre,  the  rare  and  wonderful  pro- 
ductions of  nature.     Forests,   enlivened  with  innumerable 

•  See  Gibbon,  under  emperor  Justinian :  and  Menagiana,   in  which  is  given 
the  translation  of  a  very  extraordinary  passage  from  Procopius. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  151 

birds  ;  caverns,  pouring  forth  lions,  and  tigers,  and  panthers, 
andother  beasts  of  prey;  plains,  covered  with  the  elepliant, 
the  rhinosceros,  the  zebra,  tlie  ostrich,  and  otlier  curious  ani- 
mals, ^\  hich  the  wilds  of  Africa  furnished ;  ^vere  all  brought 
together,  within  the  circuit  of  the  arena.  Not  satisfied  with 
the  rich  productions  of  the  eaith,  the  sea  must  also  become 
tributiiry  to  their  amusements.  The  arena  was  convertible 
into  a  sheet  of  Avater ;  and,  at  length,  the  two  elements,  con- 
cluding a  marriage,  as  on  the  Chinese  theatre,  produced  a 
race  of  monsters  which,  according  to  the  Latin  ^xxtt's*  de- 
scription, might  vie  with  those  of  China. 

♦'  Non  solum  nobis  sylvestria  cerncre  monstra 

"  Cdntigit,  sequoreos  ego  cum  certajitibus  ursis 

"  Spectavl  vitulos,  et  equorum  nomine  dig'numy 

"  Bed  difForme  genus." 

Wliere  sylvan  monsters  not  alone  appear. 
But  sea-cows  struggle  witli  the  shaggy  bear. 
And  horses  of  the  deep,  a  shapeless  race.  *■-• 

In  short,  the  greater  part  of  the  amusements  of  the  Chinese 
Jire,  at  the  present  day,  of  a  nature  so  very  puerile,  or  so  gross 
and  vulgar,  tliat  the  tricks  and  the  puppet-shows,  which  iwe 
occasionally  exhibited  in  a  coimnon  fair  of  one  of  tlie  country 
towns  of  Engkmd,  may  be  considered  as  comparatively  po- 
lished, interesting,  and  rational.  In  slight-of-hand,  in  posture- 
making,  rope-dancing,  riding,  and  athletic  exercises,  they  are 
much  inferior  to  Europeans  :  but,  in  tlie  Aariety  of  their  lire- 
works,  they,  perhaps,  may  carry  the  palm  against  the  \\'holc- 
world.  In  every  other  respect  the  amusements  of  the  capital 
of  China  appear  to  be  of  a  low  and  trifling  nature ;  neither 
suited  to  the  affected  gravity"  of  the  govemment,  nor  to  the  ge- 
nerally supposed  state  of  civilization  among  the  people. 

The  old  emperor,  as  he  obser\'ed  to  Lord  Macartney,  seldom 
partook  of  such  amusements.  Considering,  indeed,  all  tlie 
circumstances  connected  with  the  reign  of  tlie  present  dynasty 
on  the  throne,  the  government  of  an  empire  of  such  vast  mag-r 
nitude,  stored  with  an  almost  incalculable  population,  must 
necessarily  be  a  task  of  inconceivable  vigilance  and  toil ;  a 
task  that  must  have  required  all  the  time,  the  talents,  and  the 
attention  of  the  four  sovereigns,  to  ensure  the  brilUaiU  and 

'  A«  C*lpW.Riw». 


152  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

impai-allelled  successes  that  liave  distinguished  their  long  reign. 
I'chicn  Lung,  at  the  age  of  eightj^-three,  was  so  Uttle  afflicted 
with  the  infirmities  of  age,  that  he  had  all  the  appearance  and 
activity  of  a  hale  man  of  sixty.  His  eye  was  dark,  quick,  and 
penetrating,  his  nose  rather  aquiline,  and  his  complexion,  even 
at  this  advanced  age,  was  florid.  His  height  I  should  suppose 
to  be  about  five  feet  ten  inches,  and  he  Avas  perfecdy  upright. 
Though  neither  corpulent  nor  muscular  at  eighty-three,  it 
w  as  not  difficult  to  perceive  that  he  once  had  possessed  great 
bodily  strength.  He  always  enjoyed  a  vigorous  constitution, 
which  the  regularity  of  his  life  did  not  impair.  Like  all  the 
IN'Iantchoo  Taitars,  he  ^\  as  fond  of  hunting ;  an  exercise  that, 
during  the  summer  months,  he  never  neglected.  He  had  the 
reputation  of  being  an  expert  bowman,  and  inferior  only  in 
drawing  this  weapon  to  his  grandfather  Caung-shee,  who 
boasts,  in  his  last  w  ill,  that  he  di'ew  a  bow,  of  the  weight  or 
strength  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 

Nor  were  the  fac.ulties  of  his  mind  less  active,  or  less  power- 
ful, than  those  of  his  body.  As  prompt  in  conceiving,  as 
resolute  in  executing,  his  plans  of  conquest,  he  seemed  to  com- 
mand success.  Kind  and  chai'itable,  as  on  all  occasions  he 
shewed  himself  to  his  subjects,  by  remitting  the  taxes,  and 
administering  relief  in  seasons  of  distress,  he  was  no  less  vin- 
dictive and  relentless  to  his  enemies.  Impatient  of  restraint 
and  reverses,  he  has  sometimes  been  led  to  act  widi  injustice, 
and  to  punish  with  too  gi-eat  severity.  His  irascible  temper 
was  once  the  cause  of  a  severe  and  lasting  affliction  to  himself; 
and  the  circumstances  coimected  with  it  are  said  to  have  pro- 
duced a  gloom  and  melancholy  on  his  mind,  which  never  en- 
tirely forsook  him.  About  the  middle  part  of  his  reign,  he 
made  a  circuit  through  the  heart  of  his  empire.  At  Sau-tchoo- 
foo,  a  city  that  is  celebrated  for  its  beautiful  ladies,  which, 
being  purchased  when  infants,  ai'e  educated  diere  for  sale  to 
the  opulent,  he  was  captivated  with  a  girl  of  extraordinary 
beauty  and  talents,  whom  he  intended  to  cany  back  with  him 
to  his  capital.  The  empress,  by  means  of  an  eunuch,  was, 
made  acquainted  with  his  new  amour,  and,  dreading  his 
ftiture  neglect,  her  spirits  Vvcre  depressed  to  such  a  degree, 
that,  a  few  days  after  receiving  the  intelligence,  she  put  an  end 
to  her  existence  w  ith  a  cord.  The  emperor,  on  hearing  this 
melanclioly  new's,  was  greatly  distressed,  and  repaired,  with- 
out delay,  to  Pekin.     One  of  his  sons,  a  very  amiable  youth, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  U3 

fearful  of  incurring  his  father's  displeasure,  had  entertained 
some  doubts  whetlier  it  would  be  most  proper  to  ap]:)ear  before 
him  in  deep  mourning  for  his  mother,  \\  hich  might  be  con- 
strued as  an  insult  to  the  flidier,  who  had  been  the  cause  of 
her  death,  or  in  his  robes  of  ceremony,  a\ hich  \\ould  be  dis- 
respectful to  die  memory  of  his  deceased  mother.  In  this 
dilemma,  he  consulted  his  schoolmaster,  ^ho,  like  a  tiuc 
Chinese,  advised  him  to  put  on  both.  He  did  so,  and,  un- 
fortunately for  him,  covered  the  mourning  ^^'ith  the  ceremonial 
habit.  Tchien-Lung,  ^\•hose  affection  had  now  returned  for 
his  deceased  empress,  and  whose  melancholy  fate  he  was  deep- 
ly lamenting,  on  perceiving  his  son  at  his  feet,  without  mourn- 
ing, was  so  shocked  and  exasperated  at  the  supposed  ^\  ant  of 
filial  duty,  that,  in  the  moment  of  rage,  he  gave  him  a  violent 
kick  in  an  unfortunate  place,  which,  after  his  kmguishing  a 
£cw  days,  proved  fatal. 

None  of  his  four  sui-viving  sons  ever  possessed  any  'share 
of  his  confidence  or  authority,  which,  of  late  years,  v.ere 
wholly  bestowed  on  his  first  minister  Ho-chung-tong.  He  had 
a  due  sense  of  religious  duties,  which  he  regularly  performed 
every  morning.  Having  made  a  ^•ow,  at  the  early  part  of  his 
reign,  that,  should  it  please  hea^•en  to  gi-imt  him  to  govern  his 
dominions  for  a  complete  cycle,  or  sixty } ears,  he  \\ould then 
retire,  and  resign  the  throne  to  his  successor,  he  religiously 
observed  it,  on  the  accomplishment  of  the  event.  The  sin- 
cerity of  his  faith  may  partly  be  inferred  from  the  numerous 
and  splendid  temples  he  built  and  endo^^  ed  in  difterent  parts 
of  Oriental  Tartary,  of  Avhich  the  Poo-ta-la,  or  convent  of 
Budlia,  at  Gehol,  is  the  most  magnificent.  It  is  said,  indeed, 
from  the  circumstance  of  his  long  and  fortunate  reign,  that  he 
had,  in  his  later  years,  entertained  an  idea  that  die  Lama,  or 
Budha,  or  Fo,  for  they  are  all  the  same  personage,  had  con- 
descended to  become  incarnate  in  his  person.  "  However 
*'  wild  and  extravagant,"  obsenes  Lord  Macartney,  "  such 
*'  a  conceit  may  be  regarded,  we  knov/,  from  history,  how 
"  much  even  the  best  understandings  may  be  perverted  by 
*'  prosperity ;  and  tliat  human  nature,  not  satisfied  ^\  idi  the 
*'  good  things  of  this  world,  sometimes  wishes  to  anticipate 
"  the  condition  and  felicit)^  of  die  next.  If  Alexander  scorned 
*'  to  o^vn  less  than  Jupiter  Ammon  for  his  father,  if  many 
**  Roman  emperors  extorted  altai-s  and  siicrifices  in  their  life- 
**  toe,  if,  even  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  an  English 

V 


154,  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

"  nobleman*  encouraged  the  belief  of  his  descent  from  a 
"  swan,  and  was  complimented,  in  a  dedication,  upon  his 
*'  feathered  pedigree,  a  similar  infatuation  may  be  the  less  in- 
"  excusable  in  Kien-Long,  a  monarch,  the  length  and  hap- 
*'  piness  of  whose  reign,  the  unlimited  obedience  of  whose 
"  incalculable  number  of  subjects,  and  the  healdi  and  vigour 
"  of  whose  bod}-,  ha\e  hitlierto  kept  out  of  his  view  most  of 
•'  those  circumstances  that  are  apt  to  remind  other  men  of  tlieir 
"  miser}'  and  moi-tality." 

Till  his  last  illness,  he  continued  to  rise  at  tliree  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  both  in  winter  and  summer.  He  usually  took 
some  cordial  to  fonify  his  stomach,  and  then  repaired  to  his 
private  devotions,  at  one  of  his  temples.  After  this,  he  read 
the  dispatches  of  his  gi'eat  officers,  both  ci^il  and  military, 
■\\  ho  from  their  different  stations  were  ordered  to  ^\Tite  to  him 
directly,  and  not  to  the  tiibunals,  as  had  been  usually  the  case. 
Abotit  se\en  he  took  his  breiikfast  of  tea,  wines,  and  confec- 
tionarv,  ^\hen  he  tiTuisacted  business  with  the  first  minister, 
consuiting  with,  or  directing,  him  in  tlie  weighty  matters  of 
state,  previous  to  their  appearing,  in  regular  fomi,  before  the 
respective  depaitmcnts  to  which  they  belonged.  He  had  then 
a  kind  of  levee,  which  was  usually  attended  by  the  collaos,  or 
ministers,  and  the  presidents  of  the  depailments  or  public 
boards.  At  eleven,  refreshm.ents  were  again  served  up,  and, 
after  business  v\as  over,  he  either  amused  himself  in  the  wo- 
men's apartments,  or  walked  roimd  his  palace  or  gardens. 
Between  three  and  four,  he  usual]}-  dined ;  after  vvhich  he  re- 
tired to  his  private  rooms,  and  employed  himself  in  reading  or 
writing  till  bed-time,  which  was  always  regulated  by,  and 
seldom  later  than,  the  setting  of  the  sun. 

He  was  fully  persuaded  that  his  uninterrupted  health  M'as 
chiefly  ov\ing  to  his  early  retiring  to  rest,  and  early  rising ;  an 
observation,  indeed,  that  in  our  countr}^  has  grown  into  a 
maxim ;  and  maxims  are  generally  grounded  on  tiiith.  The 
late  Lord  Mansfield  made  a  point,  for  many  years,  of  enquir- 
ing, from  all  the  aged  persons  that  at  any  time  appeared  before 
him,  to  give  evidence,  into  their  particular  mode  of  living ;  in 
order  that  he  might  be  able  to  fonn  some  general  conclusion, 
with  regard  to  the  causes  of  their  longevity.     The  result  of 

'  Dtike  of  Buckingham.    See  the  notes  on  this  character  in  Shakespear'j 
JJenry  VIII.  Act  i.  Scqne  2. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  155 

his  observations  ^ras,  that  he  could  clraAV  no  inference  from 
their  intemperance  or  abstemiousness,  witli  regard  to  diet  or 
drinking ;  but  tkit  tiiey  iill  agreed  in  one  point,  that  of  being 
early  risers. 

Tchien-Lung  resigned  the  throne  of  China  to  his  fifteenth 
son,  the  present  Kia-king,  in  February  1796,  having  com- 
pleted a  reign  of  sixty  years  ;  and  he  died  m  the  month  of 
February,  1799,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 

When  the  Tartai's  conquered  China,  they  found  all  the  great 
offices  of  state  filled  by  eunuchs,  and  the  palace  swarming  with 
these  creatures :  the  greater  part  wns  immediatel}-  displaced ; 
and  other  Chinese,  of  talent  and  education,  were  put  into  their 
places.  Having,  however,  adopted  the  \d\vs  and  customs  of 
the  conquered,  it  became  necessary  to  keep  up  the  usual  esta- 
blishment of  women  in  the  palace ;  the  ine^•itable  consequence 
of  which  was  the  retention  of  a  certain  number  of  eunuchs  to 
>  look  after  them  :  and  they  are,  at  this  moment,  as  numerous, 
perhaps,  in  all  the  palaces,  as  they  were  at  the  conquest ;  but 
none  of  them  are  dignified  with  any  office  of  trust  or  impor- 
tance in  the  state.  They  consider  themselves,  however,  as 
elevated  far  above  the  plebeian  rank  ;  and  a  bunch  of  kevs,  or 
a  birch  broom,  gives  them  all  the  airs  and  insolence  of  office. 

Of  these  eunuchs  there  are  two  kinds.  The  one  is  so  far 
emasculated  as  never  to  have  die  consolation  of  being  a  father ; 
the  other  must  submit  to  lose  e\'ery  tmce  of  manhood.  The 
first  are  entrusted  uith  the  inspection  and  superintendence  of 
die  buildings,  gardens,  and  other  A^orks  belonging  to  the  im- 
perial palaces,  which  they  are  required  to  keep  in  order.  The 
Rasibus,  as  the  missionaiies  call  them,  ai'e  admitted  into  the 
interior  of  the  palace.  These  creatures  paint  their  faces,  studv 
their  di^ess,  and  are  as  coquetish  as  the  ladies,  upon  ^vhom, 
indeed,  it  is  their  chief  business  to  attend.  The  greatest  fa- 
vourite sleeps  in  die  same  room  Avith  the  emperor,  to  be  ready 
to  administer  to  his  A\dshes ;  and,  in  this  capacity,  he  finds 
numberless  opportunities  to  prejudice  his  master  against  tliose 
for  whom  he  may  haAC  concei^•ed  a  dislike:  and  instances  are 
not  wanting,  where  the  first  officers  in  the  state  have  been  dis- 
graced by  means  of  these  creatin^cs. 

They  are  equally  detested  and  feared  by  the  i")rinccs  of  the 
blood,  who  reside  in  the  palace ;  l3y  the  court  officers;  and  by 
the  missionaries  in  the  employ  of  government.  The  latter  find 
it  nccessarj-  to  make  frequent,  and  sometimes  expensive,  pre- 


156  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

sents  to  those,  in  particular,  about  the  person  of  his  imperial 
majest}\  Should  any  of  tliese  gentlemen  happen  to  carry 
about  \\  ith  him  a  Avatch,  snuff-box,  or  other  trinket,  which  the 
eunuch  condescends  to  admire,  there  is  no  alternative ;  the 
missionary  takes  the  hint,  and  begs  his  acceptance  of  it,  know- 
ing very  ^^■ell  that  the  only  way  to  preserve  his  friendship  is  to 
shaie  Avith  him  his  property.  An  omission  of  this  piece  of 
civility  has  been  productive  of  great  injury  to  the  European. 
The  gentleman  w  ho  regulates,  and  keeps  in  order,  the  several 
pieces  of  clock-work,  in  the  palace,  assured  me,  that  the  old 
eunuch,  ^vho  was  entrusted  widi  the  keys  of  the  rooms,  used 
to  go  in  by  night,  and  purposely  derange  and  break  the  ma- 
cliineiy,  that  he  might  be  put  to  the  trouble  and  expense  of 
repaiiing  it.  This  happened  to  him  so  often,  that,  at  length, 
he  became  acquainted  with  the  secret  of  applying  the  proper 
pre\^entive,  which,  although  expensive,  was  still  less  vexatious 
than  the  constant  reparation  of  the  mischief  done  to  the  articles 
of  which  he  had  the  superintendence. 

The  Chinese  eunuchs  are  addicted  to  all  the  vices  that  dis- 
tinguish tliese  creatures  in  otlier  countries.  There  is  scarcely 
one  about  the  palace,  whether  of  the  class  of  porters  and  sweep- 
ers, or  of  that  which  is  qualified  for  the  inner  apartments,  but 
hare.  Vv  omen  in  dieir  lodgings,  who  are  generally  the  daughters 
of  poor  people,  from  whom  they  are  purchased,  and  ai^e  con- 
sequently considered  as  their  slaves.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive 
a  condition  in  life  more  humiliating,  or  more  deplorable,  than 
that  of  a  female  slave  to  an  eunuch ;  but,  happily  for  such  fe- 
males, in  this  country  the  mental  powers  are  not  very  active. 
Several  of  the  missionaries  assured  me  of  the  truth  of  diis  fact, 
\^  hich,  indeed,  I  have  strong  reasons  for  believing,  even  of  the 
Rasibus.  The  keeper  of  tlie  hall  of  audience  once  took  me  to 
his  lodgings ;  but,  on  coming  to  the  door,  he  desired  me  to 
wait  till  he  had  m.ade  some  airangements  within ;  the  meaning 
of  which  was,  until  he  had  removed  liis  lady  out  of  the  way  : 
nor  was  he  in  the  least  displeased  at  my  hinting  this  to  him. 
Being  one  of  the  favourite  attendants  of  tlie  ladies  of  the  court, 
he  was,  of  course,  a  black  eunuch.  He  was  the  most  caprici- 
ous creature  in  the  world  ;  being  sometimes  extremely  civil 
and  communicative,  sometimes  sullen,  and  not  deigning  to 
open  his  lips  ;  and,  whenever  he  took  it  into  his  head  to  be 
offended,  he  was  sure  to  practise  some  little  revenge.  I 
fancy  he  was  clerk  of  the  kitchen ;  for  tlie  quality  and  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  \sr 

quantity  of  our  dinner  generally  depended  on  the  state  of  his 
humour.  When  the  report  of  the  embassador's  making  con- 
ditions,'' with  regard  to  the  ceremony  of  introduction,  first 
reached  Yuen-min-yuen,  he  was  more  tlrm  usually  peevish^ 
and  conceived,  as  he  thought,  a  notable  piece  of  re\engc'. 
Some  pains  had  been  taken  to  arrange  the  presents  in  such  a 
manner,  in  the  great  hall,  as  to  fill  the  room  well,  and  set  them 
off  to  the  best  advantage.  The  old  creature,  dctemiined  to 
give  us  additional  trouble,  and  to  break  throujjh  the  aiTangc- 
ment  that  had  been  made,  desired  that  the  A\hole  might  Ix^ 
placed  at  one  end  of  the  room.  On  my  objecting  to  this,  he 
pretended  to  have  recei\Td  the  emperor's  order,  and  that,  at 
all  events,  it  must  be  obeyed :  and  the  reason  he  assigned  for 
the  change  was,  "  that  his  majesty  might  see  them  at  once 
"  from  his  tlirone,  without  being  at  the  trouble  of  turning  his 
"  head." 

The  great  number  of  these  creatures  about  tlie  palace  of 
Yuen-min-}' uen  made  my  residence  there  extremely  disagree- 
able. They  seemed,  indeed,  to  be  placed  as  spies  on  our  con- 
duct. If  I  attempted  to  move,  ever  so  little,  beyond  the  court 
of  our  apartments,  I  was  sure  of  being  watched  and  pursued 
by  some  of  them.  To  persist  in  my  \\alk  would  ha\e  tliro\\a 
the  whole  palace  in  an  uproar.  I  one  day  happened,  inadver- 
tently, to  stray  through  a  thicket,  \Ahich  it  seems  led  towards 
the  apaitments  of  the  ladies ;  but  I  had  not  proceeded  far  be- 
fore I  heard  several  squalling  voices  in  the  thicket,  Avliich  I 
soon  recognised  to  be  those  of  eunuchs.  The}-  had  run  them- 
selves out  of  breath  in  seeking  me ;  and  my  old  friend  of  the 
kitchen  was  not  to  be  pacified  for  putting  him  to  the  hazard, 
as  he  pretended,  of  losing  his  head  b\-  my  imprudence. 

The  eunuchs  and  the  women  are  the  only  companions  of  the 
emperor  in  his  leisure  hours  :  of  the  latter  one  only  has  the  rank 
of  empress ;  after  whom  are  two  queens  and  their  numerous 
attendants,  Avhich  constitute  the  second  class  of  the  establish- 
ment ;  and  the  third  consists  of  six  queens,  and  their  attend- 
ants. To  these  three  ranks  of  his  v/ives  are  attached  one  hun- 
dred ladies,  who  ai-e  usually  called  his  concubines,  though  thcr 
are  as  much  a  legal  establishment  as  the  others.  They  would 
seem  to  be  of  the  same  description,  and  to  hold  the  same  rank, 
as  the  handmaids  of  the  ancient  Israelites.  Their  children  ai"c 
all  considered  as  branches  of  the  imperial  famil}- ;  but  the  pre- 
ference to  the  succession  is  generally  given  to  the  male  issue  of 


158  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

tlie  first  empress,  proA  ided  there  should  be  any.  Tliis,  how- 
ever, is  entirely  a  matter  of  choice ;  the  emperor  having  an  un- 
controled  po\\"er  of  nominating  his  successor,  either  in  his  own 
family  or  out  of  it.  The  daughters  iU'e  usually  mairied  to  Tai*- 
tar  princes,  and  other  Tartars  of  distinction ;  but  rarely,  if  ever, 
to  a  Chinese. 

On  the  accession  of  a  new  emperor,  men  of  the  first  rank 
and  situation  in  the  empire  consider  themselves  as  higWy  ho- 
noured, and  exti'emely  fortunate,  if  the  graces  of  their  daugh- 
ters should  prove  sufficient  to  provide  them  a  place  in  the  list 
of  his  concubines ;  in  which  case,  like  the  nuns  in  some  coun- 
tries of  Europe,  they  are  doomed  for  ever  to  reside  ^\ithin  the 
walls  of  the  palace.  Such  a  fate,  however,  being  common  in 
China,  in  a  certabi  degree,  to  all  women-kind,  is  less  to  be  de- 
plored than  the  simiku-  lot  of  those  in  Europe,  where  one  sex 
is  supposed  to  be  entitled  to  an  equal  degi'ee  of  liberty  with 
the  otlier :  and  as  the  custom  of  China  authorizes  the  sale  of  all 
young  women,  b}'  their  pai-ents  or  relations,  to  men  they  never 
saA\-,  and  '\\  ithout  their  consent  previously  obtained,  there  can 
be  no  haixlship  in  consigning  them  over  to  the  arms  of  the 
prince.  Nor  is  any  disgrace  attached  to  the  condition  of  a 
concubine,  where  every  marriage  is  a  legal  prostitution.  At 
the  death  of  tlie  sovereign,  all  Ms  women  arc  remoA'cd  to  a  se- 
parate building,  called  by  a  temi  which,  divested  of  its  meta- 
phor, implies  the  ''  Palace  of  Chastity,"  ^\•here  they  are  doom- 
ed to  reside  during  the  remamder  of  their  Ii\es. 


CHAP.  VI. 

LANGUAGE.—LITERATURE,  AND  THE  FINE  ARTS.— SCIENCES. 
MECHANICS,  AND  MEDICINE. 


Opinion,  of  the  Chinese  Language  being  hierogljiihical,  erroneous. — Doctor  Ha- 
ger's  mistakes. — Etymological  Comparisons  fallaciou.$. — Examples  of. — Nature 
of  the  Chinese  written  Character. — Difficulty  and  Ambiguity  of. — Curious  Mis- 
take of  an  eminent  Antiquarian. — Mode  of  acquiring  the  Character. — Oral 
Language — Mantchoo  Tartar  Alphabet. — Chinese  Literature. — Astronomy. 
—Chronology. — Cycle  of  sixty  Year.s. — Geography. — Arithmetic. — Chemical 
Arts. — Cannon  and  Gunpowder. — Distillation. — Potteries. — ^Sillc  ManufactiU'cs. 
— Ivory. — Bamboo. — Paper. — Ink. — Printing. — Mechanics. — Music. — Paint- 
ing.— Sculpture. — Architecture. — Hotel  of  the  English  Embassador  in  Pekin.— 
The  Great  Wall. — The  Grand  Canal. — Bridges. — Cemeteries. — Natural  Phi- 
losophy.— Medicine. — Chinese  Pharmacopoeia. — Qiiacks. — Contagious  Fevers, 
— Small-pox. — Opthalmia. — Venereal  Disease. — Midwifery. — Surgery. — Doc- 
tor Gregory's  Opinion  of  their  Medical  Knowledge. — Sir  Willioim  Jones's  Opi- 
mon  of  their  general  Character. 

IF  no  traces  remained,  nor  any  authorities  could  be  pro- 
duced, of  the  antiquity  of  the  Chinese  nation,  except  the  \\'rit- 
ten  character  of  their  laiiguage,  this  alone  would  he  suiHcicnt 
to  decide  that  point  in  its  fliA'our.  There  is  so  niucli  orij^inality 
in  this  language,  and  such  a  great  and  essential  difference  be- 
tween it  and  that  of  any  other  nation  not  immediately  derived 
from  the  Chinese,  that  not  the  most  distiint  degree  of  affinity 
can  be  discovered,  either  with  regard  to  the  form  of  the  charac^ 
ter,  tlie  system  on  which  it  is  constiiicted,  or  the  idiom,  with 
any  other  known  language  upon  the  face  of  the  globe.  Au- 
thors, however,  and  some  of  high  reputation,  ha^"e  been  led 
to  suppose  that,  in  the  Chinese  character,  they  could  trace 
some  relation  to  those  hieroglyphical  or  sacred  inscriptions  found 
among  the  remains  of  the  ancient  Egyptmns ;  others  liave  con- 
sidered it  to  be  a  modification  of  hieroglyphic  \\Titing,  and  tliat 
each  charc\cter  ^vas  the  symbol  or  comprehensh  e  form  of  the 
idea  it  \vas  n"ieant  to  express,  or,  in  other  words,  an  abstract 


160  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

delineation  of  the  object  intended  to  be  represented.  To 
strengthen  such  an  opinion,  the}"  have  ingeniously  selected  a 
h\v  instances  where,  by  adding  to  one  part,  and  curtailing  an- 
otlier,  changing-  a  straight  line  into  a  curved  one,  or  a  square 
into  a  circle,  something  might  be  made  out  that  approached  to 
the  picture,  or  the  object  of  the  idea  conveyed  by  the  character, 

as,  for  example,  the  character  07,  representing  a  culti- 
vated PIECE  OF  GROUND,  thcv  supposcd  it  to  bc  the  pictute 
of  an  inclosure,  turned  up  in  ridges ;  yet,  it  so  happens  that, 

in  this  countr}-,  there  are  no  inclosures ;  the  character,  rj  a 
jiouTH,  has  been  considered  by  them  a  very  close  resem- 
blance of  that  object;  J^  and  "TT  above  and  below,  dis- 
tinctly mai'ked  these  points  of  position ;  the  character  ^A,  sig- 
nifying man,  is,  according  to  their  opinion,  obviously  an  ab- 
breviated representation  of  tlie  human  figure ;  yet,  the  very 
same  character,  with  an  additional  line  across,  tlius  y^y  which 
by  the  way  approaches  nearer  to  the  human  figure,  having  now 
arms  as  well  as  legs,  signifies  the  absti-act  quality  great  ;  and 

with  a  second  line,  thus  ^^  the  material  or  visible  heaven, 

between  either  of  which  and  man  it  Would  be  no  easy  task  to 
find  out  the  analogy ;  and  still  less  so  to  trace  an  affinity  be- 
tween any  of  them  and  »^  which  signifies  a  dog. 

It  is  true,  certain  ancient  characters  are  still  extant,  in  which 
a  rude  representation  of  the  image  is  employed  ;  as  for  in- 
stance, a  circle  for  the  sun,  and  a  crescent  for  the  moon,  but 
tliese  appear  to  have  been  used  only  as  abbreviations,  in  the 
same  manner  as  these  objects  are  still  characterized  in  our  al- 
manacks, and  in  our  astronomical  calculations.  Thus  also 
the  kingdom  of  China  is  designed  by  a  square,  with  a  ver- 
tical line  drawn  tlirough  the  middle,  in  conformity  perhaps 
with  their  ideas  of  the  earth  being  a  square,  and  China  placed 
in  its  centre.  So  far  these  may  be  considered  as  symbols  of 
the  objects  intended  to  be  represented.  So,  also,  the  numerals 
one,  two,  three,  being  designed  by  __  _  -==.  ,  would  na- 
turally suggest  themselves  as  being  fully  as  convenient  for  the 
purpose,  and  perhaps  more  so  than  any  other ;  and  where  the 
first  series  of  numerals  ended,  which,  according  to  the  uni- 
versal custom  of  counting  by  tlie  fingers,  was  at  ten,  tlie  very 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  161 

act  of  placing  the  index  of  the  riglit  hand  on  the  Httle  finger  of 
the  left  would  suggest  the  form  of  the  vertical  cross  k  as  the 
symbol  or  representation  of  tlic  number  ten. 

I  cannot  avoid  taking  notice,  in  this  place,  of  a  publication  of 
doctor  Hager,  which  he  calls  an  "  Explanation  of  the  Klcmen- 
t&ry  Characters  of  the  Cliinese."  In  this  \\  ork  he  has  ad\anced 
a  most  extraordinary  lugument,  to  prove  an  analogy  bet^Aeen 
the  ancient  Romans  and  tlie  Chinese,  from  tlie  resemblance 
which  he  has  fancied  to  exist  between  the  numeral  characters 
and  the  numeral  sounds  made  use  of  by  those  two  nations. 
The  Romans  he  observes,  expressed  their  numerals  one,  t^o, 
three,  by  a  corresponding  number  of  vertical  strokes  I.  II.  III. 

which  the  Chinese  place  horizontal!}^  , __-^    jr=  .     The 

Romans  designed  the  number  ten  by  an  oblique  cross  X,  and 
the  Chinese  by  a  vertical  one  x.  This  resemblance  hi  the 
forming  of  their  numerals,  so  simple  and  natural,  that  almost 
all  nations  have  adopted  it,  is  surely  too  slight  a  coincidence 
for  concluding  that  the  people  who  use  them  must  necessarily, 
at  some  period  or  other,  have  had  communication  together. 
The  doctor,  however,  seems  to  think  so  ;  imd  proceeds  to 
observe,  that  the  tliree  principal  Roman  cyphers,  I.  V.  X.  or 
one,  five  and  ten,  are  denoted  in  die  Chinese  language  by  the 
same  sounds  tliat  they  express  in  the  Roman  alphabet.  This 
remark,  although  ingenious,  is  not  coiTcct.  One  and  five,  it 
is  true,  are  expressed  in  the  Chinese  language  by  the  y  and  on 
of  the  French,  which,  it  may  be  presumed,  were  the  sounds 
that  die  lettres  I.  and  V.  obtained  in  the  ancient  Roman  alpha- 
bet ;  but,  with  regaled  to  die  ten,  or  X,  a\  hicli,  he  says,  the 
Chinese  pronounce  xe,  he  is  entirely  mistaken ;  the  Chinese 
word  for  ten  in  Pekin  being  slice,  and  in  Canton  shap.  This 
error  the  doctor  appears  to  ha\e  been  led  into  by  consulting 
some  vocabulary  hi  the  Chinese  and  Portuguese  Umguages ;  in 
the  latter  of  which  the  letter  X  is  pronounced  like  our  sh. 
But  admitting,  in  its  fullest  extent,  the  resemblance  of  some 
of  the  numerals  used  by  the  two  nations,  in  the  shape  of  the 
character,  and  of  others  in  the  sound,  it  certainly  cannot  be  as- 
sumed to  prove  any  thing  beyond  a  mere  accidental  coinci- 
dence. 

The  earliest  accounts  of  China,  after  the  doubling  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  being  w  ritten  by  Portuguese  missionaries, 
and  the  Chinese  proper  names  still  remaining  to  be  spelled  in 
the  letters  of  that  alphabet,  ha^  e  led  several  etymologists  hit© 


162  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

great  errors,  not  only  with  regard  to  the  letter  X,  but  more 
piirticularly  in  the  m  final,  and  the  h  incipient;  the  former  being 
pronounced  ng,  and  the  latter  ^^•ith  a  strong  aspirate,  as  sh. 
Thus,  the  name  of  the  second  emperor  of  the  present  dynasty 
is  almost  uniA  ersally  Amtten  in  Europe  Cam-hi,  whereas  it  is 
as  uni\  ersally  pronounced  in  China  Caung-shee. 

The  learned  doctor  seems  to  be  still  less  happy  in  his  next 
conjecture,  ^here  he  obser\'es  that,  as  the  Romans  expressed 
tlieir  fiAe  by  simply  dividing  the  X,  or  ten,  so  also  the  ancient 
cliaracter,  signifying  five,  — \\ith  the  Chinese — was X,  or  ten, 
between  two  lines,  thus  "^  ;  indicating,  as  it  were,  that  the 
number  ten  was  divided  in  two.  The  doctor  seems  to  have 
forgotten  that  he  has  here  placed  his  cross  in  the  Roman  form, 
and  not  as  the  Chinese  WTite  it ;  and  it  is  ceitauily  a  strange 
Wdx  of  cutting  a  thing  in  tA\-o,  by  enclosing  it  between  two 
lines  :  but  the  learned  seldom  baulk  an  absurdity,  when  a  sys- 
tem is  to  be  established.     The  Chinese  character  for  five  is 


S 


Of  all  deductions,  those  drawn  from  etymological  compari- 
sions  ai"c,  perhaps,  the  most  fallacious.  Were  these  allowed 
to  ha\'e  any  Vv'eight,  the  Chinese  spoken  language  is  of  such 
a  nature,  that  it  \\  ould  be  no  difficult  task  to  point  out  its  re- 
lationship to  that  of  CAcry  nation  upon  earth.  Being  entirely 
monosyllabic,  and  each  A\"ord  ending  in  a  vowel  or  a  liquid, 
and  being,  at  the  same  time,  deprived  of  the  sounds  of  several 
letters  in  our  alphabet,  it  becomes  necessarily  incapable  of 
suppljing  any  gi^eat  number  of  distinct  syllables.  Three  hun- 
dred are,  in  fact,  nearly  as  many  as  an  European  tongue  can  ar- 
ticulate, or  ear  distinguish.  It  follows,  of  course,  that  the 
same  sound  must  have  a  great  variety  of  significations.  The 
syllable  ching,  for  example,  is  actually  expressed  by  fifty-one 
different  characters,  each  having  a  different,  unconnected,  and 
opposite  meaning;  but  it  would  be  the  height  of  absurdity  to 
attempt  to  prove  the  coincidence  of  any  other  language  with 
the  Chinese,  because  it  might  happen  to  possess  a  word  some- 
thing like  the  sound  of  ching,  which  might  also  bear  a  signifi- 
cation not  very  different  from  one  of  those  fifty-one  that  it  held 
in  the  Chinese. 

The  Greek  abounds  with  Chinese  words.  kw#,  a  dog,  is 
in  Chinese  both  keou  and  keun,  expressive  of  the  same  animal 
«»  good,  is  not  very  different  from  the  Chinese  hau,  which 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  163 

signifies  the  same  quality  ;  and  the  article  t«  is  not  far  remote 
from  ta,  he,  or  tliat.  Both  Greeks  and  Romans  mio-ht  recoL'*- 
mse  their  first  personal  pronoun  '«y«,  or  ego,  m  go,  or,  as  it  is 
sometimes  written,  ngo.  The  Italian  affirmative,  si,  is  suili- 
ciently  near  the  Chinese  shee,  or  zee,  expressing  assent.  The 
French  6tang,  and  the  Chinese  tang,  a  pond  or  lake,  are  neaily 
the  same,  and  their  two  negatives  pas  and  poo  are  not  very  re- 
mote. Lex,  loi,  le,  law,  compai^ed  ^\•ith  leu,  lee,  law  s  and  in- 
stitutes, are  examples  of  analog}'  that  \\ould  be  dtcisi^e  to 
the  etymological  inquirer.  The  English  word  mien,  tlie  coun- 
tenance, and  the  Chinese  mien,  expressing  the  same  idea,  arc 
nothing  different ;  and  we  might  be  supposed  to  have  taken  our 
goose  fi'om  their  goo.  To  sing  is  chaung,  \\  hich  comes  \'eiy 
near  our  chaunt.  The  Chinese  call  a  cat,  miau,  and  so  does 
die  Hottentot.  The  Malay  word,  to  know,  is  tau,  and  the  Chi- 
nese monosyllable  for  the  same  verb  is  also  tau,  though  in  con- 
versation they  generally  use  the  compound  tchee-tiui,  each  oi' 
which  sepai*ately  have  nearly  the  same  meaning.  The  Suma- 
trans  have  maufor  mother,  the  Chinese  say  moo.  On  giounds 
equally  slight  with  these  ha\'e  many  attempts  been  made  to  form 
conclusions  from  etymological  comparisons.  If  I  mistake 
not,  the  very  ingenious  Mr.  Bryant  makes  the  word  gate  a 
derivative  from  the  Indian  Mordgliaut,  a  pass  between  moun- 
tains. Surely  this  is  going  a  great  deal  too  far  for  our  little 
monosyllable.  Might  we  not  ^^•ith  as  great  a  degree  of  pro- 
priety fetch  our  shallow  or  shoal  fiom  China,  where  sha-loo 
signifies  a  flat  sand,  occasionally  coAcred  with  the  tide  ?  A  not- 
ed antiquarian  has  been  led  into  some  comical  mistakes  in  his 
attempt  to  establish  a  resemblance  between  the  Chinese  and  the 
Irish  languages,  frequently  by  his  having  considered  the  letters 
of  the  continental  alphabet,  in  wliich  the  Chinese  \ocabulaiy 
he  consulted  was  ^^Titten,  to  be  pronounced  in  the  same  mamier 
as  his  own*. 

•  For  the  curiosity  of  those  who  may  be  inclined  to  speculate  in  etymolog'ical 
comparisons  between  the  Chinese  and  other  languages,  I  here  subjoin  a  short  list 
of  words  in  the  former,  expressing  some  of  the  most  striking  objects  in  tlie  crea- 
tion, a  few  subjects  of  natural  liistory,  and  of  such  articles  as  from  their  general 
use  are  familiar  to  most  nations ;  these  being  of  all  others  the  most  hkely  to  have 
retained  their  primitive  nances.  The  orthography  I  have  used  is  that  of  tlie  En- 
glish language. 


The  Earth 

tee 

An  Insect 

tchong 

The  Air 

kee 

A  Plant 

tscm 

Fire 

im 

A  Tree 

shoo 

16-4 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


Whatever  degree  of  affinity  may  be  discovered  bet^veen  the 
sounds  of  the  Chinese  language  and  those  of  other  nations, 
their  wTJtten  character  has  no  analog}^  whatever,  but  is  entirely 
peculiar  to  itself.  Neither  die  Eg}'ptian  inscriptions,  nor  the 
nail-headed  cliaracters,  or  monograms,  found  on  the  Babylo- 
nian bricks,  have  any  nearer  resemblance  to  the  Chinese  than 
the  Hebrew  letters  have  to  the  Sanscrit.  The  only  analogy 
that  can  be  said  to  exist  between  them  is  that  of  their  being 
composed  of  points  and  lines.     Nor  are  any  marks  or  traces. 


Water 
The  Sea 
A  River 
A  Lake 
A  Mountain 
A  Wilderness 
The  Sun 
The  Moon 
Tlie  Stars 
The  Clouds 
Rain 
HaU 
Snow 
Ice 

Thunder 
Lightning 
The  Wiiid 
The  Day 
The  Night 
The  Sky  or  Heaven 
The  East 
The  West 
The  Nortli 
The  South 
Man 
Woman 
A  Sheep 

A  Goat,  or  moun-  > 
tain  Sheep        C 

A  Cat 

A  Stag 

A  Pldgeon 

Poultry 

An  Egg 

A  Goose 

Oil 

Rice 

Milk 

Vinegar 

Tobacco 

Salt 

Silk 

Cotton 

Flax  Plant 

Hemp 


nuet 

A  Quadruped 

aho9 

hat 

A  Bird 

kin 

ho 

A  Fish 

eu 

tang 

A  Fruit 

ko-tsc 

than 

A  Flower 

viha 

ye-tet 

A  Stone 

thee 

jee-to 

Gold 

tchin 

yui 

Silver 

in  tse 

sing 

Cppper 

tung 

yun 

Lead 

yuen 

yeit 

Iron 

tie 

svee-tan 

The  Head 

too 

sine 

The  Hand 

shoo 

ping 

The  Heart 

tin 

lute 

The  Leg 

koo 

shan-tien 

The  Foot 

tchiau 

f"ng                 , 

The  Face 

mien 

jee  or  tien 

The  Eyes 

yen- thing 

ye  or  van  shang 

The  Ears 

eul  to 

tien 

The  Hair 

too  fa 

tting 

An  Ox 

nieu 

see 

A  Camel 

loo-too 

pee 

A  Horse 

m,a 

nan 

An  Ass 

loo-tse 

jin 

A  Dog 

kioon 

foo-jin 

A  Frog 

tchoo 

yang 

Wool  (Sheep's  Hair) yangmau 

shan-yang 

Coals 

tan 

Sugar 

tang 

miau 

Cheese,   they  have" 

) 

shan  loo 

none    but     thick ' 

f  not -ping,  ( 
t  iced  mlD 

koo  tse 

MUk                      J 

kee 

A  House 

shia 

kee-tan 

A  Temple 

miau 

goo 

A  Bed 

tchuang 

yeo 

A  Door 

men 

met 

A  Table 

tai 

nai 

A  Chair 

ye  tz6 

tsoo 

A  Knife 

tau 

yen 

A  Pitcher 

ping 

yen 

A  Plough 

lee 

tsoo 

An  Anchor 

mau 

mien-iuhfi 

A  Ship 

tcfMon 

ma 

Money 

Uien 

TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  165 

of  alpliabetic  UTiting  discoverable  in  the  composition  of  the 
Chinese  character :  iuid  if,  at  any  time,  hieroglyphics  have 
been  employed  to  convey  ideas,  they  have  long  given  way  to 
a  collection  of  arbitrary  signs,  settled  by  convention,  and  con- 
structed on  a  system  as  regular  and  constant  as  the  formation 
of  sounds  in  any  of  the  European  languages  ai-iscs  out  of  the 
alphabets  of  those  languages. 

The  history  of  the  world  affords  abundant  evidence  that,  in 
the  dawn  of  civilization,  most  nations  endeavoured  to  fix  and 
to  perjDetuate  ideas,  by  jxiinting  the  figures  of  the  objects  that 
produced  them.  The  Egyptian  priesthood  recorded  the 
mysteries  of  their  religion  in  graphic  emblems  of  this  kind ; 
and  the  Mexicans,  on  the  first  arrivid  of  the  Spaniards,  informed 
their  prince  Montezuma  of  what  was  passing,  by  painting 
tiieir  ideas  on  a  roll  of  cloth.  There  is  no  v\  a}-  so  natural  as 
tliis  of  expressing,  and  conA^eying  to  the  imdei-standing  of 
others,  the  images  that  pass  in  the  mind,  witliout  the  helji  of 
speech.     In  the  course  of  the  present  voyage,  an  ofiicer  of  ar- 

I  must  observe,  however,  for  the  information  of  these  philolog-ists,  that  scarcely 
two  provinces  in  China  have  the  same  oral  language.  The  officers  and  their  at- 
tendants who  came  with  us  from  the  capital,  could  converse  only  with  tlie  boatmen 
of  the  southern  provinces  through  the  medium  of  an  interpreter.  The  cliaracter 
of  the  language  is  universal,  but  the  name  or  sound  of  the  character  is  arbitrary. 
If  a  convention  of  sounds  could  have  been  settled  like  a  convei\tion  of  marks  oiie 
would  suppose  tliat  a  commercial  intercourse  would  have  eHected  it,  at  least  in  the 
numeral  sounds,  that  must  necessarily  be  interchanged  from  place  to  place,  and 
myriads  of  times  repeated  from  one  corner  of  the  empire  to  the  other.  Let  us 
compare  then  tlie  numerals  of  Pekin  with  those  of  Canton,  the  two  greatest  cities 
in  China. 

Pekln.  Canton.  Pekin.  Canton. 

1.  Ye  yat  11.  shee-ye  sliap-vat 

2.  id  ye  12.  shee-ul  shap-ye 

3.  san  saam  20.  ul-shee  ye-shap 

4.  soo  see  30.  san-shee  saam-shap 

5.  ou  um  31.  san-shee-ye  saam-siiap-vat 

6.  leu  lok  32.  san-shee-ui  saam-siiap-ye 

7.  tehee  tsat  100.  pe  paak 

8.  pas  pat  1000.  tsien  tseen 


man 


9.  tcheu  kow  10,000.    van 

10.  shee  shap  100,000.     she-van  shap-man 

If,  then,  in  this  highly  civiUzed  empire,  the  oral  language  of  the  northern  part 
differs  so  widely  from  the  southern,  tliat,  in  numerous  instances,  by  none  of  the 
etymological  tricks*  can  they  be  brouglit  to  bear  any  kind  of  analogy  ;  if  the  very 
word  which  in  Pekin  implies  the  number  one,  be  used  in  Canton  to  express  two 
how  veiy  absurd  and  ludicrous  must  tliose  learned  and  laboured  dissertations 
appear,  that  would  assign  an  oriental  origin  to  all  our  modern  languages  ! 

Such  as  the  addition,  deduction,  mutation,  and  transposition  of  letters,  or 
evensyUables.  Thus  Mr.  Webbe  thinks  that  the  dcrivaliou  of  the  Greek  y^!,  a 
vtoman,  firom  the  Chinese  nu-gin,  is  self-evident. 


166  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

tiller\-  and  myself  were  dispatched  to  make  observations  on 
the  small  island  of  Collao,  near  the  coast  of  Cochin-china. 
In  order  to  make  the  natives  comprehend  our  desire  to  pro- 
cure some  poultry,  we  drew  on  paper  the  figure  of  a  hen,  and 
were  immediately  supplied  to  the  extent  of  our  wants.     One 
of  the  inhabitants,  taking  up  the  idea,  drew,  close  behind  the 
hen,  the  figure  of  an  egg ;  and  a  nod  of  the  head  obtained  us 
as  many  as  we  had  occasion  for.    The  Bosjesmon  Hottentots, 
the  most  wild  and  savage  race,  perhaps,  of  human  beings,  are 
in  the  constant  habit  of  drawing,  on  the  sides  of  caverns,  the 
representations  of  the  different  animals  peculiar  to  the  country. 
When  I  visited  some  of  those  caverns,  I  considered  such 
di'awings  as  the  employment  of  idle  hours ;  but,  on  since  re- 
flecting that  in  almost  all  such  caverns  are  also  to  be  seen  the 
figures  of  Dutch  boors  (who  hunt  these  miserable  creatures  like 
wild  beasts),  in  a  variety  of  attitudes,  some  with  guns  in  their 
hands,  and  others  in  the  act  of  firing  upon  their  countrymen ; 
waggons  sometimes  proceeding,   and  at  others  standing  still, 
the  oxen  unyoked,  and  the  boors  sleeping,   and  these  repre- 
sentations generally  followed  by  a  number  of  lines  scored  like 
so  many  tallies,   I  am  inclined  to  think  they  have  adopted  this 
method  of  informing  their  companions  of  the  number  of  their 
enemies,  and  die  magnitude  of  the  danger.     The  animals  re- 
presented were  generally  such  as  were  to  be  met  with  in  die 
district  where  the  drawings  appeared ;  this,  to  a  people  who 
subsist  by  the  chase  and  by  plunder,  might  serv^e  as  another 
piece  of  important  information. 

The  Chinese  history,  although  it  takes  no  notice  of  the  time 
^\hen  they  had  no  other  method  of  keeping  their  records,  ex- 
cept, like  the  Peruvians,  by  knotting  cords,  makes  no  mention 
of  any  hierogl}^)hical  chai^acters  being  used  by  them.  If  such 
were  actually  the  case,  the  remains  of  symbolical  writing  would 
now  be  most  discoverable  in  the  radical,  or  elementaiy  cha- 
racters, of  which  we  shall  have  occasion  presendy  to  speak, 
and  especially  in  those  which  were  employed  to  express  some 
of  the  most  remarkable  objects  in  nature.  Out  of  the  two 
hundred  and  twelve,  or  thereabout,  which  constitute  the  num- 
ber of  the  radical  signs,  the  following  are  a  few  of  the  most 
simple,  in  none  of  which,  in  my  opinion,  does  there  appear 
to  be  the  least  resemblance  between  die  picture  and  the 
object. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  167 

A  gin,  man  HJ  ^^"^'  ^P^^^'  ^^  ^  square  of 

Jj  koo,  a  mouth  ^  vue,  the  moon 

^  tee,  eaith  ^  jce,  the  sun 

^«  tse,  a  son  ^  moo,  a  tree 

li  tsau,  a  plant  yl^  swce,  w  atcr 

J^  shan,  a  mountain  flT  ho,  fire 

p|^  sin,  a  heart  "^  shee,  a  stone. 

^jj^  shoo,  a  hand 

The  rest  of  the  elementar}-  characters  are,  if  possible,  still 
more  unlike  the  objects  they  represent.  There  seems  there- 
fore, to  be  no  grounds  for  concluding  that  the  Chinese  ever 
made  use  of  hieroglyphics,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  that 
their  present  character  sprung  out  of  hieroglyphics.  They 
have  a  tradition,  \\hich is  uni\'ersL\lly  believed,  that  tlieir  prince 
Fo-shee  Mas  the  in\'entor  of  the  system  upon  which  their 
written  diameter  is  formed,  and  which,  without  any  material 
alteration,  there  is  ever^^  reason  to  suppose  has  continued  in 
use  to  tliis  day.  To  Fo-shee,  howe\'er,  they  ascribe  tlie  in- 
vention of  almost  every  thing  they  kno^v,  A\"hich  has  led  Mr. 
Baillic  ingeniously  to  conjecture  that  Fo-shee  must  have  been 
some  foreigner  who  first  civilized  China :  as  arts  and  sciences 
do  not  spring  up  and  bear  fruit  in  the  life  of  one  man.  Many 
changes  in  the  form  of  characters  may  have  taken  place  from 
time  to  time,  but  the  principle  on  which  they  are  constructed 
seems  to  have  maintained  its  ground.  The  redundancies  of 
particular  chaiacters  have  been  removed  for  the  sake  of  conve- 
nience ;  and  the  learned,  in  their  epistolaiy  \\Titing,  have  adopted 
a  sort  of  running  hand,  in  which  the  form  is  so  very  materially 
altered,  by  rounding  off  tlie  angles,  connecting  some  pai-ts,  and 
wholly  omitting  otliers,  as  to  make  it  appear  to  a  superficial 
observer  a  totally  different  language.  But  I  may  venture  to 
observe  that  it  has  not  only  not  undergone  any  material  altera- 
tion for  more  than  two  thousand  years,  but  tliat  it  has  ne^er 
borrowed  a  character,  or  a  syllable,  from  any  other  language 
that  now  exists.     As  a  proof  of  this,  it  may  be  mentioned,  th 


168  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

eveiy  new  article  that  has  found  its  way  into  Cliina,  since  its 
discovery  to  Europeans,  has  acquired  a  Chinese  name,  and 
entirely  sunk  that  which  it  bore  by  the  nation  who  introduced 
it.  Tlic  proper  names,  extn  of  countries,  nations,  and  indivi- 
duals are  changed,  and  assume  new  ones  in  their  language. 
Thus,  Europe  is  called  See-yang,  the  western  countrj'^;  Japan,. 
Tur.g-yang,  the  eastern  countiy;  India  Siau-see-yang,  the 
little  VvCbtern  country.  The  English  are  dignified  by  the  name 
of  Hung-mou,  or  Red-Heads,  and  the  French,  Spanish,  Por- 
tuguese, and  others,  ^\ho  visit  China,  have  each  a  name  in  the 
language  of  the  countr}',  totally  distinct  from  that  they  bear  in 
Einope.  This  inflexibility  in  retaining  the  words  of  their  own 
poor  language  has  frequently  made  me  think  that  Doctor 
Johnson  had  the  Chinese  in  his  mind,  when,  in  that  inimitable 
piece  of  fine  vvriting  which  prefaces  his  dictionary,  he  made 
this  remark :  "  The  hmguage  most  likely  to  continue  long, 
*'  without  alteration,  would  be  that  of  a  nation  raised  a  little, 
*'  and  but  a  little,  above  barbarity,  secluded  from  strangers,  and 
*'  totally  employed  in  procuring  the  conveniencies  of  life." 

The  invention  of  the  Chinese  character,  although  an  effort 
of  genius,  required  far  less  powers  of  the  mind  than  the  disco- 
ver}' of  an  alphabet ;  a  discovery  so  sublime,  that,  according 
to  the  opinion  of  some,  nothing  less  than  a  divine  origin  ought 
to  be  ascribed  to  it.  It  may,  howe\'er,  be  considered  as  the 
neai'cst  approximation  to  an  uniA^rsal  chai'acter  that  has  hither- 
to been  attempted  by  the  learned  and  ingenious  of  any  nation ; 
each  character  conveying  at  once  to  the  eye,  not  only  simple, 
but  the  most  combined  ideas.  The  plan  of  our  countryman. 
Bishop  Wilkins,  for  establishing  an  universal  character,  is,  in 
all  respects,  so  similar  to  that  upon  which  the  Chinese  language 
is  constructed,  that  a  reference  to  the  former  will  be  found  to 
convey  a  \'er}^  competent  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  latter.  The 
universal  chai'acter  of  our  countryman  is,  howe^'er,  more  sys- 
tematic, and  more  philosophical  than  the  plan  of  the  Chinese 
character. 

Certain  signs,  expressing  simple  objects  or  ideas,  may  be 
considered  as  the  roots  or  primiti^^es  of  this  language.  These 
are  few  in  number,  not  exceeding  two  hundred  and  twelve, 
one  of  which,  or  its  abbreviation,  will  be  found  to  compose  a 
part  of  &very  character  in  the  language ;  and  may,  therefore, 
be  considered  as  the  ke}^  to  the  character  into  which  it  enters. 
The  eye  soon  becomes  accustomed  to  fix  upon  the  particular 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  169 

key,  or  root,  of  the  most  complicated  characters,  in  some 
of  which  are  not  fewer  than  sixty  or  sevent)*  distinct  lines  and 
points.  The  right  line,  the  curA^ed  line,  and  a  point,  are  tlie 
rudiments  of  all  the  characters.  These,  \iuiously  combined 
witli  one  another,  have  been  extended  from  time  to  time,  as 
occasion  might  require,  to  near  eighty  thousand  different 
characters. 

To  explain  the  manner  in  which  their  dictionaiies  ai-e  ai'- 
ranged  will  serve  to  convey  a  con-ect  notion  of  die  nature  of 
this  extraordinary  languag-e.  All  the  two  hundred  andtvtehe 
roots  or  keys  are  drawn  Fau'  and  distinct  on  the  head  of  the 
page,  beginning  -w  ith  the  most  simple,  or  that  which  contairis 
the  fewest  number  of  lines  or  points,  and  proceeding  to  the 
most  complicated  ;  and  on  the  mai'gins  of  the  page  are  marked 
tlie  numei"al  characters,  one,  two,  tlirec,  &c.  which  signify, 
that  the  root  or  key  at  the  top  ^\"ill  be  found  to  be  combined 
on  that  page  a\  ith  one,  two,  three,  he.  lines  or  points.  Sup- 
pose, for  example,  a  learner  should  meet  v.  ith  an  unkno\\  a 
character,  in  which  he  perceives  that  the  simple  sign  express- 
ing AN'citer  is  the  key  or  root,  and  that  it  contains,  besides  this 
root,  six  additional  points  and  lines.  He  immediately  turnsover 
his  dictionar}-  to  the  place  ^\'here  the  character,  water,  stands, 
on  the  top  of  the  page,  and  proceeding  \\  ith  his  eye  directed 
to  the  margin,  until  the  numeral  character  six  occurs,  he  m  ill 
soon  perceive  the  one  in  question ;  for  all  the  chai^acters  in  the 
language,  belonging  to  tlie  root  \\ater,  and  composed  of  six 
other  lines  and  points,  will  follow  successively  in  this  place. 
The  name  or  sound  of  the  character  is  placed  immediately 
after  it,  expressed  in  such  others  as  ai'e  supposed  to  be  most 
familial' ;  and,  in  the  method  made  use  of  for  convejing  this 
information,  the  Chinese  ha\e  discoA^ered  some  faint  and  very 
imperfect  idea  of  alphabetic  vmting,  by  splitting  the  monosyl- 
labic sound  into  a  dissyllable,  and  again  compressing  the 
dissyllable  into  a  simple  sound.  One  instance  a\  ill  serve  to 
explain  this  method.  Suppose  the  name  of  the  character 
under  consideration  to  be  ping.  If  no  single  character  be 
thought  sufficiently  simple  to  express  the  sound  ping,  imme- 
diately after  it  \v  ill  be  placed  t\\  o  ^\•ell-known  characters  pe  and 
ing  ;  but,  as  evtry  character  in  the  language  has  a  monosyllabic 
sound,  it  will  readily  be  concluded,  diat  pe  and  ing,  when 
compressed  into  one  syllable,   must  be  pronounced  ping. 

Y 


iro  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

After  these,  the  meaning  or  explanation  follows,  in  the  clear- 
est and  most  easy  characters  that  can  be  employed. 

When,  indeed,  a  considerable  progress  has  been  made  in 
the  language,  the  general  meaning  of  many  of  the  cliaracters 
may  be  pretty  nearly  guessed  at  by  the  eye  alone,  as  they  will 
mostly  be  found  to  have  some  reference,  either  immediate  or 
remote,  though  very  often  in  a  figurative  sense,  to  the  signi- 
fication of  the  key  or  root;  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the 
classification  of  objects  in  natural  history,  every  species  may 
be  referred  to  its  proper  genus.  The  signs,  for  instance,  ex- 
pressing the  hand  and  the  heart,  are  two  roots,  and  all  the 
works  of  art,  the  different  trades  and  manufactures,  arrange 
themselves  under  the  first,  and  all  die  passions,  affections,  and 
sentiments  of  the  mind  under  the  latter.  The  root  of  an 
unit,  or  one,  comprehends  all  the  characters  expressive  of 
the  feelings  and  the  like.  Thus,  if  I  observ^e  a  charac- 
ter compounded  of  the  two  simple  roots,  one  and  heart,  I 
have  no  difficulty  in  concluding  that  its  signification  is  unani- 
mity ;  but  if  the  sign  of  a  negative  should  also  appear  in  the 
■same  chai^acter,  the  meaning  will  be  reversed  to  discord  or 
dissention,  literally  not  one  heart.  Many  proper  names  of 
persons  have  the  character  signifying  man  for  their  key  or 
root,  and  all  foreign  names  have  the  character  mouth  or  voice 
annexed,  which  shews  at  once  that  the  character  is  a  proper 
name  employed  only  to  express  sound,  wdthout  any  particular 
meaning. 

Nor  are  these  keys  or  roots,  although  sometimes  placed  on 
the  right  of  the  character,  sometimes  on  the  left,  now  at  the 
top,  and  then  at  the  bottom,  so  very  difficult  to  be  discovered 
to  a  person  who  knows  but  a  little  of  the  language,  as  doctor 
Hager  has  imagined.  Tliis  is  by  far  the  easiest  part  of  the 
language.  The  abbreviations  in  the  compound  characters,  and 
the  figurative  sense  in  which  they  are  sometimes  used,  consti- 
tute the  difficulty,  by  the  obscurity  in  which  they  are  involved, 
and  the  ambiguity  to  which  they  are  liable. 

The  doctor  is  equally  unfortunate  in  the  discovery  which  he 
thinks  he  has  made  of  a  want  of  order  in  classing  the  elements 
according  to  the  number  of  lines  they  contain.  The  in- 
stances he  gives  of  such  anomaly  are  in  the  two  characters  of 

*^}i  MOO,  mother;  and  ^Q,  tien,  cultivated  ground :  the 

first  of  V.  liich  he  is  surprised  to  find  among  the  elementary 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  in 

characters  of  four  lines,  and  the  latter  (\^'hich  he  asserts  to  be 
still  more  simple)  among  those  of  five.  The  Chinese,  how- 
ever, are  not  quite  so  much  out  of  order  as  the  doctor  seems 
to  be  out  of  his  province  in  attempting  a  critique  on  a  language, 
of  which  he  really  possesses  a  very  superficial  knowledge.  The 
first  character  ^t,  moo,  is  composed  of  ^  J  — *  J  ,  and 

the  second ffl[,  tien,  of  JT^—  /  *'^ ;  the  one  of  four 
and  the  otlier  of  fi^^e  lines,  according  to  the  aiTangement  of 
Chinese  dictionaiies,  and  their  elementary  treatises. 

Among  the  roots  or  primitives  that  most  fiequently  occur 
are  those  expressing  the  hand,  lieart,  moutli,  and  the  five  ele- 
ments, earth,  air,  fire,  wood^  and  water.  Man  is  also  a  very 
common  root. 

The  composition  of  characters  is  capable  of  exercising  a  very 
considerable  degree  of  ingenuit}',  and  the  analysis  of  them  is 
extremely  entertaining  to  a  foreigner.  As,  in  a  proposition  of 
Euclid,  it  is  necessary  to  go  tlirough  the  whole  demonstration 
before  the  figure  to  which  it  refers  can  be  properly  understood, 
so,  in  the  Chinese  character,  the  sense  of  the  sevei'al  compo- 
nent parts  must  first  be  kno^^■n,  in  order  to  comprehend  the 
meaning  of  the  compound.  To  endeavour  to  recollect  them 
without  this  knowledge  would  be  a  laborious  and  almost  im- 
possible effort  of  the  mind.  Indeed,  after  tliis  knowledge  is 
acquired,  the  sense  is  sometimes  so  liid  in  metaphor,  and  in 
allusions  to  particular  customs  or  ways  of  thinking,  that  \\  hen 
all  the  component  parts  of  a  character  are  well  understood,  the 
meaning  may  yet  remain  in  obscurity.  It  may  not  be  difficult 
to  conceive,  for  instance,  that,  in  a  figurative  language,  the 
union  of  the  sun  and  moon  might  be  employed  to  express  any 
extraordinary  degree  of  light  or  brillianc}^ ;  but  it  would  not 
so  readily  occur,  that  the  character  foo,  or  happiness,  or  su- 
preme felicity,  should  be  designed  by  the  union  of  the  charac- 
ters expressing  a  spirit  or  demon,  the  number  one,  or  unity,  a 

moutli,  and  a  piece  of  cultivated  ground,  thus  Wm-    This 

character  hi  the  Chinese  language  is  meant  to  convey  the 
same  idea  as  the  word  comfort  does  in  our  o^\^l.  The  charac- 
ter implying  the  middle  of  any  thing,  annexed  to  that  of  heart, 
was  not  inaptly  employed  to  express  a  very  deai-  friend,  nor 
that  with  the  heait  suraiounted  by  a  negative,  to  imply  indif- 
ference, no  heart ;  but  it  is  .not  so  easy  to  assign  any  reason 


172  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA, 

why  the  character  ping,  signifying  rank  or  order,  should  be 
expressed  by  the  character  inoutli,  repeated  tlirice,  and  placed 

like  the  three  balls  of  a  pawnbroker,  thus  ^^ ,  or  why  four  of 
these  mouths  arranged  as  under,  with  the  chai-acter  ta,  great, 
in  die  center,  should  imply  an  instrument,  or  piece  of  mecha- 
nism.    ^S .     Nor  would  it  readily  occur  why  the  character 

^ ,  nan,  masculine,  should  be  made  up  of  tien,  a  field, 

and  lee,  strength,  unless  from  the  idea  that  the  male  sex  pos- 
sesses strength,  and  only  can  inherit  land.  But  that  a  smooth- 
ness or  volubility  of  speech  Y)/$^  should  be  designed  by 

koo,  mouth,  and  kin,  gold,  we  can  more  easily  conceive,  as 
we  apply  the  epithet  silver-tongue  pretty  nearly  on  the  same 
occasion. 

If  the  Chinese  liad  rigidly  adliered  to  die  ingenious  and  phi- 
losophical mechanism  they  originally  employed  in  the  con- 
struction of  their  chai'acters,  it  would  be  die  most  interesting 
of  all  languages.  But  such  is  far  from  being  the  case.  New 
characters  aie  daily  constructed,  in  which  convenience,  rather 
than  perspicuity,  has  been  consulted. 

It  ^vill  follow,  from  what  has  been  ssdd,  that  every  com* 
pounded  character  is  not  only  a  word,  but  also  a  definition, 
comprehending  in  visible  marks  its  full  explanation ;  but  no 
character,  howe^^er  compounded,  can  have  more  than  a  mo- 
nosyllabic sound,  though  each  part,  when  alone,  has  a  distinct 
sound,  as  well  as  sense.  Thus,  "  Happiness,"  though  com- 
pounded of  four  distinct  characters,  slice,  a  demon;  ye,  one; 
koo,  a  mouth ;  and  tien,  a  piece  of  cultivated  ground ;  has 
only  the  simple  m.onosyllabic  sound  foo,  which  is  unlike  that 
of  any  one  of  its  compounds. 

The  sounds  and  vaiious  inflexions  incidental  to  languages 
in  general,  are  not  necessary  to  be  attended  to  in  the  study  of 
the  Cliinese  characters.  They  speak  equally  strong  to  a  person 
who  is  deaf  and  dumb,  as  the  most  copious  language  could  do 
to  one  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  all  his  senses.  It  is  a  language 
addressed  entirely  to  the  eye,  and  not  to  the  ear.  Just  as  a 
piece  of  music  laid  before  several  persons  of  diiferent  nations 
of  Europe  would  be  played  by  each  in  the  same  key,  the  same 
measure,  and  the  same  air,  so  would  the  Chinese  characters 
be  equally  understood  by  the  natives  of  Japan,  Tunquin,  and 
Cocliin-China ;  yet  each  would  give  them  different  names  or 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  173 

sounds,  that  would  be  wholly  unintelligible  to  one  another. 
When,  on  the  present  voyage,  ^ve  stopped  at  Piilo  Condore, 
the  inhabitants,  being  Cochiii-Cliinese,  had  no  difficulty  in  cor- 
responding, by  WTiting,  with  our  Chinese  interpreters,  tiiough 
tliey  could  not  interchange  one  intelligible  word. 

Although,  with  the  assistance  of  a  good  dictionaiy  and  a  to- 
lerable memory,  a  knowledge  of  such  of  the  Chinese  chm-ac- 
ters  as  most  frequently  occur  may  be  obtained  b}-  a  foreigner ; 
yet,  the  ambiguity  to  which  they  are  liable,  on  account  of  the 
frequent  figurative  expressions  and  substitution  of  metaphor 
for  the  literal  meaning,  renders  their  best  compositions  ex- 
tremely obscure.  Anodier,  and  not  the  least,  difficulty  to  a 
learner  of  tliis  language  arises  from  the  abridgment  of  the  cha- 
racters for  the  sake  of  convenience,  by  wliich  the  eye  is  de- 
prived of  the  chain  that  originally  connected  the  component 
parts.  In  short,  it  is  a  language  where  much  is  to  be  made  out 
that  is  not  expressed,  and  particularly  so  in  what  is  called  fine 
WTiting ;  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  it  can  only  be  acquired 
from  a  familiar  acquaintance  witli  the  manners,  "customs,  ha- 
bits, and  opinions  of  the  people.  Those  missionaiies  e\'en, 
who  ha^'e  resided  in  the  countr}-  the  best  part  of  d\eir  lives, 
and  accepted  employments  about  the  palace,  are  frequentl}-  at 
a  loss  in  translating  and  composing  the  official  papers  that  are 
necessar)^  to  be  made  out  on  the  occasion  of  im  European  em- 
bassy. 

It  is,  however,  a  matter  of  surprise  that,  after  all  that  has 
been  pubUshed  in  Europe  by  the  Jesuits,  of  the  grandeur,  the 
magnificence,  the  learning,  and  the  philosophy  of  the  Chinese, 
so  very  few  persons  should  have  taken  the  trouble  to  make 
themselves  acquainted  with  the  language  of  this  extraordinary 
iiation.  So  little  was  a  professor  of  Cliinese,  at  Rome,  versed 
in  the  language  he  professed  to  know,  that  he  is  said  *  to  have 
mistaken  some  characters  found  on  a  bust  of  Isis  for  Chinese, 
which  bust  and  the  characters  Averc  afterv.ards  proved  to  bo 
the  work  of  a  modern  artist  of  Turin,  made  after  his  o^^Tl  fancv. 
In  Great-Britain  we  have  kno^vn  still  less  of  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage and  Chinese  literature  than  on  the  continent.  It  is  not 
many  years  ago,  that  one  of  the  small  copper  coins  of  China, 
stamped  in  the  reign,  and  with  the  name,  of  die  late  Tchien- 
lung  (or,  as  he  is  usually  called  in  the  southern  dialect  of  China, 

•  By  Mr.  Pauw. 


174,  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

Kien-long),  was  picked  up  in  a  bog  in  Ireland,  and,  being  con- 
sidered as  a  great  curiosity,  \^as  ciirried  to  an  indefatigable  an- 
tiquary, whose  researches  have  been  of  considerable  use  in  in- 
■s^estigating  the  ancient  histor}^  and  language  of  that  island. 
Not  kno^\^ng  the  Chinese  character,  nor  their  coin,  it  was  na- 
tural enough  for  him  to  compare  them  with  some  language  with 
which  he  w  as  acquainted ;  and  the  conclusion  he  drew  was, 
that  the  four  following  characters  on  the  face  w^re  ancient  Sy- 
riac;  and  that  the  reverse  (which  are  Man-tchoo  letters)  ap- 
peared to  be  astronomical,  or  talismanic  characters,  of  which 
he  could  give  no  explanation. 

FACE. 


TcHiEN-LUNG.  f^ffrmX  (Emperor's  name.) 
Pag- TUNG.  W^^lTzKd M  Cun^ent  value. 


REVERSE. 
PO-TCHIN.    ^r-|^^^'''^'''''^>^"'''*>''''^ 

Tchin. 


The  Man-tchoo  Tartar  characters  of  another  coin  he  supposed 
to  signify  pur,  which  is  construed  into  sors,  or  lot ;  and  it  is 
concluded,  that  these  coins  must  either  have  been  imported 
into  Ireland  by  the  Phosnicians,  or  manufactured  in  the  coun- 
try ;  in  ^vhich  case,  the  Irish  must  have  had  an  Oriental  alpha- 
bet. *'  In  either  case,"  it  is  observed,  "  these  medals  contri- 
^'  bute  more  to  authenticate  the  ancient  history  of  Ireland  than 
*'  all  the  volumes  that  have  been  \vritten  on  the  subject." 

I  have  noticed  this  circumstance,  which  is  taken  from  the 
Collectanea  Hibemica,  in  order  to  shew  how  litde  is  known 
of  the  Chinese  chai'acter  and  language  among  the  learned, 
when  so  good  a  scholar  and  eminent  antiquaiy  committed  so 
great  a  mistake. 

The  youth  of  China  generally  begin  to  study  the  language 
v.  hen  they  are  about  six  years  of  age.     Their  first  employ- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  17S 

merit  is  to  leani  by  name  a  certain  number  of  easy  chai-acters, 
without  any  regai-d  to  the  signification,  or  \\ithout  under- 
standing the  meaning  of  one  of  them  ;  consequently,  without 
adding  to  the  mbid  one  single  idea,  for  five  or  six  yeais, 
except  that  of  labour  and  difficult}-.  For  tlie  name  of  a  cha- 
racter, it  may  be  recollected,  has  no  reference  \\ hatsoe\er  to 
its  meaning.  Thus  fiit} -one  dift'crent  characters,  of  as  many 
distinct  significations,  have  the  same  name  of  ching ;  and  if 
ten  or  a  dozen  characters,  beaiing  the  sound  of  ching,  should 
occur  in  the  same  page,  the  leanicr,  in  this  stage  of  liis  edu- 
cation, is  not  instructed  in  the  se\eral  meanings  ;  his  object 
is  to  acquire  the  sound,  but  to  neglect  the  sense.  I  have 
been  told,  tliat  a  regular  bred  scholai-  is  required  to  get,  by 
heart,  a  very  laige  volume  of  the  works  of  Confucius  so  per- 
fectly, Uiat  he  may  be  able  to  tiuTi  to  any  passiige  or  sentence 
from  heai-ing  the  sound  of  the  characters  only,  \\ithout  his 
having  one  single  idea  of  their  signification.  The  next  step 
is  to  form  the  characters,  commencing  by  tracing,  or  going 
over,  a  certain  number  that  are  faintly  drawn  in  red  ink.  As 
soon  as  the)'  are  able  to  cover  these  w  ith  tolerable  accuracy, 
without  deviating  from  the  lines  of  the  original,  they  then 
endeavour  to  imitate  them  on  fresh  paper.  These  operations 
employ  at  least  four  years  more  of  their  life.  Thus,  a  young 
man  of  fourteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age,  although  he  may 
be  able  to  vmte  a  great  number  of  characters,  for  each  of 
Vvhich  he  can  also  give  a  name,  yet,  at  the  same  time,  he  can 
affix  no  distinct  idea  to  any  one  of  them.  The  contjary 
method  would  appear  ad^isable,  of  teaching  them  first  the 
-signification  of  the  simple  roots  and  the  anahsis  of  the  com- 
pound characters,  and  afterwards  the  sounds,  or  perhaps,  to 
let  the  one  accompany  the  other. 

Objections  of  a  similar  nature  to  those  now  mentioned, 
against  the  mode  of  Chinese  education,  ha\'e,  it  is  true,  been 
frequently  stated  with  regard  to  die  plan  of  educating  }ouths 
in  the  public  grammar-scliools  of  our  oN\n  countrj- ;  tliat  some 
of  the  most  precious  years  of  their  lives,  when  the  faculties 
were  in  grooving  vigour,  and  the  plastic  mind  most  suscepti- 
ble of  receiving  and  retaining  impressions,  are  wasted  in 
poring  over  the  metaphysics  of  a  Latin  grammar,  which  they 
cannot  possibly  comprehend,  and  in  learning  by  heart  a  num- 
ber of  declinations,  conjugations,  and  S}aitax  rules,  which 
serve  only  to  puzzle  and  disgust,  instead  of  affording  in- 


irS  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

struction  or  amusement ;  that  the  grammar,  or  philosophical 
part  of  a  language,  is  useful  only  tor  the  niceties  and  perfec- 
tion of  that  language,  and  not  a  subject  for  boys.  In  all 
instances,  perhajis,  ^^^herc  the  language  to  be  learned  is  made 
tlie  common  colloquial  language  of  the  pupil,  tlie  objections 
stated  against  the  use  of  the  grammar  may  have  some  weight. 
But  as  this  is  not  the  case  widi  regard  to  the  Greek  and  Latin 
languages  in  Europe,  nor  to  the  written  character  in  China, 
which  differs  widel}'  from  the  colloquial,  long  experience  may, 
perhaps,  in  both  cases,  have  led  to  the  adoption  of  the  most 
eligible  method.* 

But  a  }'Oulh  of  Europe  has  a  very  material  advantage  over 
one  of  China,  during  the  time  in  Avhich  he  is  said  to  be  por- 
ing over  his  Latin  grammar.  He  is  in  the  daily  habit  of  ac** 
quiring  ncAv  ideas,  from  his  knowledge  of  other  languages. 
His  mother-tongue  supplies  him  with  books,  which  he  is 
able  to  comprehend,  and  from  which  he  derives  both  enter- 
tainment and  instruction.  ^Vithout  enumeratmg  tlie  great 
variety  of  these  that  daily  engtige  his  attention,  I  deem  it  suffi- 
cient to  observe,  that  liis  Robinson  Crusoe  (the  best  book, 
with  few  exceptions,  that  can  be  put  into  a  boy's  hand)  shews 
the  numberless  difficulties  to  which  he  is  liable  in  the  world, 
when  the  anxious  cares  of  his  parents  have  ceased  to  watch 
over  him  ;  it  is  there  pointed  out  to  him  that,  arduous  as 
many  undertakings  may  appear  to  be,  few  are  insurmountable ; 
that  die  body  and  the  mind  of  man  are  furnished  with  re- 
sources which,  by  patience,  diligence,  prudence,  and  reflec- 
tion, will  enable  him  to  overcome  the  greatest  difficulties, 
and  escape  the  most  imminent  dangers.  His  Tom  Jones, 
however  exceptionable  in  those  parts  where  human  failings 
are  represented  under  an  amiable  and  alluring  di'ess,  leaves, 
upon  the  whole,  a  lively  impression  in  favour  of  generosity 
and  virtue,   and  seldom  fails    to  excite  an  indignant  glow 

•  That  the  Chinese  method,  however,  is  defective,  may  be  inferred  from  the 
circumstance  of  the  present  Sir  George  Staunton  having-  not  only  acquired,  in  little 
more  than  twelve  months,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  such  a  number  of 
words  and  phraseology  as  to  make  himself  understood,  and  to  understand  otheri, 
on  common  topics  of  conversation,  but  he  also  learned  to  write  the  characters, 
with  such  facility  and  accuracy,  that  all  the  diplomatic  papers  of  the  embassy, 
addressed  to  the  Chinese  government,  were  copied  by  him  (the  Chinese  them- 
selves being  afx-aid  to  let  papers  of  so  unusual  a  style  appear  in  their  own  hand 
WTiting)  in  so  neat  and  expeditious  a  manner  as  to  occasion  great  astonishment. 
It  may  be  observed,  however,  that  few  youths  of  his  age  possess  the  talents, 
the  attention,  and  the  general  information  with  which  he  was  endowed. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  177 

against  perfidy,  selfishness,  and  brutality.  The  young  Chi- 
nese has  no  such  relief  from  his  dry  study  of  acquiring  the 
names  and  representations  of  things  that  to  him  have  as }et 
no  meaning.  He  knows  not  a  word  of  any  language  but 
his  own. 

The  last  step  in  the  education  of  a  Chinese  is  to  anahse 
the  characters,  by  die  help  of  the  dictionary,  in  the  manner 
already  mentioned,  so  that  he  now  first  begins  to  comprehend 
the  use  of  die  written  character.  l*Lxtracts  fiom  the  A\orks 
of  tlieir  famous  philosopher  Cong-foo-tse  (the  Confucius  of 
the  missionaries)  are  generally  put  into  his  hands ;  be- 
ginning with  those  that  treat  on  moi-al  subjects,  in  Mhicli 
are  set  forth,  in  short  sentences,  the  praises  of  virtue,  and 
the  odiousness  of  vice,  with  rules  of  conduct  to  be  observed 
in  the  world.  The  eternal  mean,  in  the  style  imd  manner 
of  the  maxims  of  Seneca,  next  follows  ;  and  the  art  of 
government,  with  an  abridgment  of  the  laws,  completes  him 
for  taking  his  first  degree,  which  generally  happens  when  he 
has  attained  his  twenticdi  year.  But,  in  order  to  be  cjualiiied 
for  any  high  employment,  he  must  study  at  least  ten  }ears 
longer. 

From  this  view  of  the  written  character,  and  the  mode  of 
education,  it  will  readily  occnr,  that  little  ])rogress  is  likely  to 
be  made  in  any  of  the  speculati^'e  sciences ;  and  more  especially 
as  their  assistance  is  not  necessary  to  obtain  the  most  elcA'ated 
situations  in  the  go^^emment.  The  examinations  to  be  passed 
for  the  attainment  of  office  are  principally  confined  to  the  know^- 
ledge  of  die  language ;  and,  as  fiu-  as  this  goes,  diey  are  rigid 
to  die  utmost  degi'ee.  The  candidates  ai'e  put  into  separate 
apartments,  having  previously  been  seaiched,  in  order  to  as- 
certain that  they  have  no  \A'riting  of  any  kind  about  them. 
They  are  allowed  nothing  but  pencils,  ink,  and  paper,  and 
Avidiin  a  given  time  they  are  each  to  produce  a  theme  on  the 
subject  that  shall  be  proposed  to  them.  The  excellence  of 
the  composition,  which  is  submitted  to  the  examining  officers, 
or  men  of  letters,  depends  chiefly  on  the  foUoAving  points. 

That  ever}-  character  be  neatly  and  accurately  made. 

That  each  character  be  well  chosen,  and  not  in  vulgai'  use. 

That  the  same  character  do  not  occur  twice  in  tlie  same 
composition. 

The  subject  and  the  manner  of  treating  it  are  of  the  least  con- 
sideration ;  but  those  on  morality,  or  histoiy,  are  generally 


178  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

preferred.  If  the  folio^^  ing  story,  as  communicated  by  one 
of  the  missionaiies,  and  comnuinicatcd,  I  believe,  by  the 
Abbe  Grozicr,  be  true,  there  requires  no  further  illustration 
of  the  state  of  literature  in  China.  "  A  candidate  for  prefer- 
*'  ment  having  inad\'ertently  made  use  of  an  abbreviation  in 
*'  \\Tlting  the  character  ma  (which  signifies  a  horse)  had  not 
"  only  the  mortification  of  seeing  his  composition,  very  good 
"  in  every  other  respect,  rejected  solely  on  that  account,  but, 
"  at  the  same  time,  was  severely  rallied  by  the  censor,  who, 
"  among  other  things,  asked  him  how  he  could  possibly  ex- 
''  pect  his  horse  to  walk  without  having  all  his  legs!" 

The  constiTJctioa  of  the  colloquial,  or  spoken  language,  is 
extremely  simple.  It  admits  of  no  inflexion  of  termination, 
either  in  the  verb,  or  in  the  noun,  each  word  being  the  same 
in\'ariabie  monos}'llable  in  number,  in  gender,  in  case,  mood, 
and  tense ;  aiul,  as  most  of  these  monosyllables  begin  w'ith  a 
consonant  mid  end  ^^dth  a  vowel,  except  a  few  that  terminate 
in  1, 11,  or  ng,  the  number  of  such  sounds,  or  simple  syllables, 
is  very  limited.  To  an  European  they  do  not  exceed  tliree 
hundred  and  fifty.  But  a  Chinese,  b}'-  early  habit,  has  ac- 
(^uired  greater  power  over  the  organs  of  speech,  and  can  so  mo- 
dulate his  voice  as  to  give  to  the  same  monosyllable  five  or  six 
distinct  tones  of  sound ;  so  that  he  can  utter  at  least  t\\''elve  or 
tiiirteen  liundred  radical  ^\^ords,  wliich,  with  the  compounds, 
are  found  to  be  fully  suflicient  for  expressing  all  his  wants. 

On  this  curious  suljject  I  am  enabled  to  speak  with  gi'eat 
accuracy,  through  the  kindness  of  Sir  George  Staunton,  to 
whom,  indeed,  I  am  indebted  for  more  information  in  this 
work  than  I  am  allowed  to  aekno^vledge.  From  the  best  manu- 
script Cliinese  dictionaiy  in  hie:  possession,  he  has  obligingly 
taken  the  trouble  to  draw  ou*^  the  following  abstract  of  all  the 
simple  sounds,  or  words,  in  the  Chinese  language,  together 
Avith  their  inflexions  or  accentuations,  by  which  they  ai'e  ex- 
tended as  far  as  any  tongue  can  possibly  articulate,  or  the  nicest 
par  discriminate.  The  first  column  she^^^s  all  the  initial  letters, 
or  their  po^\^ers  in  the  language :  the  second,  the  number  of 
terminations,  or  the  remaining  part  of  the  monosyllable,  beside 
the  initial ;  and  the  third  expresses  the  number  of  monosylla- 
bic sounds  that  may  be  given  to  each  by  inflexion,  or  modu- 
lation of  voice,  and  by  milking  use  of  aspirates. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


17« 


Number  of  ter- 

Initials. 

minations    to 

Number  of  inflexions 

Power. 

each. 

or  acceulualions. 

1 

Ch.  as  ill  Child. 

20 

131  including  aspirates. 

2 

F. 

10 

30  no  aspirates. 

3 

G. 

11 

32  no  aspirates. 

4 

between  H.  &  S. 

36 

114  all  s'rong  aspirates. 

5 

y. 

16 

61  no  aspirates. 

6 

J.  as  in  French  ^our. 

14 

34  no  aspirates. 

7 

K. 

37 

206  including'  aspirates. 

8 

L. 

25 

66  no  aspirates. 

9 

M. 

22 

58  no  aspirates. 

10 

N. 

23 

56  no  aspirates 

11 

O. 

1 

2  no  aspirates. 

12 

P. 

21 

104  including  aspirates. 

13 

s. 

29 

86  no  asjiiratcs. 

14 

T. 

17 

105  including  aspirates. 

15 

Ts. 

28 

147  including  aspirates. 

16 

between  V  and  W. 

13 

39  no  aspirates. 

17 

Sh. 

19 

60  nn  aspirates. 

17 

342 

1331 

So  that,  in  the  whole  colloquial  language  of  China,  an  European 
may  make  out  542  -»iinple  niono.syilabic  souPids,  which,  by  the 
help  of  a.spirates,  inflexions  of  voice,  or  accentuations,  arc  ca- 
pable of  being  increased  by  a  Chinese  to  1551  words.  And 
as  tlie  WTitten  Umguage  is  said  to  contiiin  80,000  characters, 
and  each  character  has  a  name,  it  ^vill  follow,  that,  on  an  aver- 
age, 60  characters,  of  so  many  different  significations,  must 
necessarily  be  called  by  the  same  monos}llabic  name.  Hence, 
a  composition,  if  read,  would  be  totally  unintelligible  to  the 
ear,  and  must  be  seen  to  be  understood.  The  monosvllabic 
sound  assigned  to  each  character  is  applied  to  so  many  dif- 
ferent meanings,  that,  in  its  uncomiectcd  state,  it  may  be  said 
to  have -no  meaning  at  all. 

In  the  business  of  common  life,  the  nice  inflexions  or  modu- 
lations, that  are  required  to  make  out  these  thirteen  hundred 
words,  may  amply  be  expressed  in  about  fifteen  thousand  cha- 
racters ;  so  tliat  each  monosyllabic  sound  will,  Lnthis  case,  on 
an  average,  admit  of  about  twelve  distinct  significations.  This 
recurrence  of  the  same  words  must  necessarily  cause  great 
ambiguity  in  conversation,  and  it  frequently  indeed  leads  to 
ridiculous  mistakes,  especial!}'  b}'  foreigners.  Thus,  a  sober 
missionar}^,  intending  to  pass  the  night  at  a  peasant's  house, 
asked,  as  he  thougjht,  for  a  mat,  but  \\'as  ^'ery  much  surprised 


180  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

on  seeing  bis  host  presenting  him  witli  a  young  girl ;  these 
t^^o  objects,  so  ver}-  different  from  one  another,  being  signi- 
fied by  two  words  whose  pronunciations  are  not  distinguishable, 
and  consequently  one  or  the  other  requires  to  be  used  with  an 
adjunct. 

It  was  a  source  of  daily  amusement  to  our  conductors,  to 
hear  the  equivoques  we  made  in  attempting  to  speak  their 
language.  A  Chinese,  when  the  sense  is  doubtful,  will  draw 
the  character,  or  the  root  of  it,  in  the  air  with  his  finger,  or 
iim ;  by  ^\■hich  he  makes  himself  at  once  understood. 

But,  as  some  of  these  monosyllabic  words,  as  I  have  ob- 
ser\'cd  of  chin  g,  have  not  less  than  fifty  distinct  significations, 
v.hich  the  nicest  tones  and  inflexions,  even  of  a  Chinese  voice, 
are  not  able  to  discriminate,  such  words  are  generally  convert- 
ed into  compounds,  by  adding  a  second  syllable,  bearing  some 
relative  sense  to  the  first,  by  which  the  meaning  is  at  once  de- 
termined. Among  the  significations,  for  instance,  of  the  mo- 
nosyllable FOG  is  that  of  FATHER,  to  which,  for  the  sake  of 
distinction,  as  foo  has  many  significations  beside  that  of  fa- 
ther, they  add  the  syllable  chin,  implying  kindred  :  thus, 
a  Chinese,  in  speaking  of  his  parents,  invariably  says  foo- 
cHiN  for  father,  and  moo-chin  for  mother;  but,  in  writing, 
the  character  of  chin  would  be  considered  as  an  unnecessary 
expletive;  thr^tof  fog  being  veiy  differently  made  from  any 
other  called  by  the  same  name. 

The  grammai*  of  this  language  may  briefly  be  explained. 
The  noun,  as  observed,  is  indeclinable;  the  particles  te  or 
TIE,  mark  the  genitive,  and  always  follow  the  noun;  eu  the 
dati\e,  which  it  precedes,  and  tunc  or  tsung  the  ablative, 
before  which  they  are  also  placed.    As  for  example, 

Nom.    GAi  love. 

Gen.  gai-tee  of  love. 
Dat.  EUGAi  to  love. 
Ace.     GAI  love. 

Abl.  TUNG  or  tsung  gai,  from  or  by  love.    And 
the  same  in  the  plural. 

Give  me  your  book, 

Keu  go  ne-te  shoo. 

Dear  to  men, 

QuEi  eu  JIN. 

Come  you  with  him, 

Ne-lai         tung  TA. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  ISl 

The  adjective  is  alsofonned  from  die  geniti\e  of  die  noun,  as 
PA  I,  whiteness;  pai-tie,  white;  jE,heat;  jE-TiEhot;  lee, 
reason;  lee-tie,  rational;  h a u,  goodness;  h a u- tie,  good. 
But  when  tlie  adjective  precedes  the  noun,  as  it  genenilly  does, 
tlie  particle  tie  is  omitted,  as, 

HAU-jiN,  a  good  man. 
PAi-MA,  a  white  horse. 
jE-swEE,  hot  water. 

The  plural  of  nouns  is  expressed  by  prefixing  some  word  sig- 
nifying plurality,  fis  TO-jiN,  many  men;  to-to  jin,  a  multi- 
tude of  men;  chung  jin,  all  men;  and  sometimes  by  a  re- 
petition of  the  word,  as  jin-jin,  men. 

Adjectives  are  compared  b}-  placing  die  paiticle  keng  be- 
fore the  comparative,  as 

YEOU,  soft;     KENG    YEOU,  SOftCr. 

HAU,  good;  KENG  HAU,  l)etter. 
My  book  is  newer  than  yours. 
Go-TE  SHOO  kens:  sin    ne-te. 

The  superlative  is  marked  by  various  particles,  sometimes  pre- 
ceding, and  sometimes  follo^^^ng,  die  adjective,  and  it  is  also 
formed  by  repeating  the  positive,  as 

HAU,  hau-tie,  very  good. 
whang-whang-tie,  verv  vellow. 

The  personal  pronouns  are, 

ngo  (nasal)  or  go,  ne,      ta,  go-men,  ne-mcn,  ta-men. 
1,  thou,  he,    we,     ye,         they. 

And  they  become  possessives,  in  the  same  manner  as  nouns  ai-c 
changed  into  adjectives,  by  the  addition  of  t  e  or  tie,  as 

go-te,  ne-te,  ta-te,  go-men-te,  ne-men-te,  ta-men-te, 
mine,  thine,  liis,       ours,       yours,      theirs. 

The  verb  has  likewise  neither  conjugation  nor  inflection ;  and 
the  tenses,  or  times  of  action  or  passion,  are  limited  to  three ; 
the  present,  the  past,  and  the  futiu'c.  The  present  is  signified 
simply  by  the  verb,  as  go  lai,  I  come ;  the  past,  is  expressed 
by  the  particle  leo,  as  go  lai  leo,  I  did  come,  or  I  have 
come;  and  the  future  is  formed  by  placing  the  particle  yau 
before  the  verb,  as  go  yau  lai,  I  will  come ;  or,  when  some- 
thing very  determined  is  meant  to  be  expressed,  the  compound 


182  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

YUEN-Y  precedes  the  verb,  as  go-yuen-y-lai  I  am  deter* 
mined  to  come.  It  may  be  observed,  hoAvever,  that  altliough 
these,  and  other  particles  signifying  the  time  and  mode  of  ac- 
tion, are  necessary  in  common  speech,  yet,  in  fine  writing,  they 
iire  entireK"  omitted,  \\  hich  is  another  cause  of  the  obscurity 
and  diiiicult}-  that  occur  to  strangers  in  the  study  of  tlie  Clii- 
nese  character. 

The  two  negatives  mo  and  poo,  are  of  great  use  in  the  spoken 
language.  The  first  is  generally  used  with  the  verb  yeu  to 
have,  and  ai^A'ays  implies  a  want  or  deficiency,  as,  mo  yeu 
NAi,  there  is  no  milk  ;  mo  yeu  tcha,  you  can  have  no  tea, 
I  liave  no  tea,  there  is  no  tea,  &c.  poo  is  generally  used  to 
express  qualities  of  an  opposite  nature,  as,  hau,  good;  poo 
HAU,  bad;  je,  hot;  poo  jE,cold;  ta,  great;  poo  ta, little. 
The  usual  salutation  between  friends  is  hau- poo- hau,  well, 
or  not  well  ? 

The  limits  I  have  prescribed  for  the  present  work  will  not 
allow  me  to  enter  into  a  more  de tidied  account  of  this  singular 
language.  What  has  been  said  may  serve  to  convey  a  general 
idea  of  the  written  character,  and  the  simple  construction  of 
the  spoken  language.  I  shall  now  endeavour,  in  a  few  words, 
to  explain  the  nature  and  construction  of  the  Man-tchoo 
Tartar  character  ;  which,  if  the  present  family  continue 
on  the  throne  for  a  century  longer,  will,  in  all  probability, 
supplant  the  Chinese,  or  will,  at  least,  become  the  court  lan- 
guage. In  the  enunciation  it  is  full,  sonorous,  and  far  from 
being  disagreeable ;  more  like  the  Greek  than  any  of  the  Ori- 
ental languages  ;  and  it  abounds  with  all  those  letters  \\^hich 
the  Chinese  have  rejected,  particularly  with  the  letters  B  and 
R.  It  is  alaphabetic,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  syllabic  ;•. 
and  the  different  paits  of  speech  are  susceptible  of  expressing, 
number,  case,  gender,  time,  modes  of  action,  passion,  and 
other  accidents,  similar  to  those  of  European  languages. 
This  is  effected  either  by  change  of  termination,  preposition, 
or  interposition.  The  character  is  extremely  beautiful,  and  it 
is  written,  like  the  Chinese,  in  perpendicular  columns ;  but 
beginning  on  tlie  left  side  of  the  paper  instead  of  the  right,  as 
is  the  case  in  v.riting  the  former  language. 

Of  the  state  of  tlieir  literature,  and  progress  in  science,  I 
have  little  to  observe.  The  nature  of  the  language  will  almost 
itself  determine  these  points.  With  respect  to  any  branch  of 
polite  literature,  or   speculative  science,  little   improvement 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  183 

seems  to  have  been  made  in  the  last  two  thousand  years.  In- 
deed,  there  are  no  works  in  the  whole  empire,  modern  or  an- 
cient that  are  so  much  esteemed,  so  much  studied,  and  I  may 
perhaps  add,  so  little  comprehended,  as  the  live  classical  books 
collected  and  commented  upon  by  tlieir  gi'eat  philosopher 
Cong-foo-tsc,  who  lived  about  450  years  beiorc  the  Christian 
cera  ;  and  these  certainly  are  very  extraordinar}'  productions 
for  the  time  in  which  diey  wei-e  wTitten.  I'hcse  \vorks  and 
a  few  \vTitings  of  their  favourite  master,  according  to  the  an- 
jials  of  the  country,  escaped  the  general  destruction  of  books, 
when  the  barbarous  She-\vhang-te  ordered  all  the  monuments 
of  learning  to  be  burnt,  except  such  as  treated  of  medicine 
and  agriculture,  about  two  hundred  3*ears  belbre  Christ,  for 
the  absurd  purpose,  as  the}-  st;ite,  that  he  might  be  considered 
by  posterity  as  the  first  ci\ilized  emperor  v/hich  had  governed 
China  ;  and  that  the  records  of  its  history  might,  by  tliis  mean 
artifice,  appear  to  commence  with  his  reign. 

Admitting  such  an  event  to  ha\'e  happened  (wliich,  ho'^.v- 
ever,  may  be  considered  as  doubtful )  the  supposition  involves 
in  it  this  necessaiy  consequence,  that  the  stock  of  learning  at 
that  time  must  ha\e  been  very  confined.  It  is  scared}'  pos- 
sible, otherwise,  how  one  person,  neai'  tlie  end  of  his  reign, 
could  have  contrived  to  assemble  together  all  the  \\orks  of  art 
and  literature,  dispersed  through  so  large  a  ti^act  of  countiy, 
and  so  enlightened  as  it  A\"as  then  supposed  to  be.  There 
were,  besides,  other  independent  sovereigns  in  the  coimtry, 
over  whom  he  had  little  or  no  control ;  so  that  it  is  ver)-  pro- 
pable  the  common\\-ealth  of  letters  suffered  no  great  loss  by  the 
burning  of  the  Chinese  books.  When  the  calif  Omar  com- 
manded the  Alexandrian  library  to  be  destroyed,  v\hich  the 
pride  and  the  learning  of  the  Ptolem}'  family  had  collected 
from  every  part  of  the  world,  literature  sustained  an  irreparable 
loss  ;  but,  although  the  tj^rant  had  the  power  to  consign  to 
etemal  obli^•ion  the  \\orks  of  science,  yet  he  had  no  power 
over  the  principles  upon  ^vhich  these  works  were  constructed. 
These  principles  had  spread  thcmsehes  ^^■ide  o^"er  the  ^\'orld. 
The  expedition  of  Alexander  earned  the  learning  of  the  Egyp- 
tians and  the  Greeks  into  \'arious  countries  of  Asia,  Avhere 
they  continued  to  flourish.  And  when  die  tyranny  and  op- 
pression of  the  seventh  Ptolemy  (Physcon)  forced  the  Alex- 
andrians to  abandon  a  city  that  ^vas  perpetually  streaming  Avith 
the  blood  of  its  citizens,  they  found  an  asylum  in  the  Grecian 
states  and  in  diftcrent  parts  of  Asia.     And  as  this  sanguinary 


284  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

tyrant,  in  the  midst  of  his  cruelties,  pretended,  and  indeed 
shewed,  a  fondness  for  literature,  the  arts  and  the  sciences 
flourished  e^en  in  his  reign.  The  migrations,  therefore,  at  tliis 
time,  from  the  capital  of  Eg}-pt,  were  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance and  use  to  those  nations  among  whom  the  refugees  set- 
tled. Unluckily  for  China,  the  wild  mountainous  forests  to- 
wards the  south,  and  the  ^\■ide  sandy  deserts  to  the  north,  that 
render  any  communication  extremely  difficult  between  this 
empire,  and  the  rest  of  Asia,  together  with  their  dislike  for 
foreigners,  seem,  at  this  time,  to  ha^e  checked  the  progress  oi 
those  arts  and  sciences  which  had  long  flourished  in  Europe 
and  in  Afi-ica.  Their  historj-,  at  least,  is  silent,  as  to  any  com- 
munication with  India,  till  a  centur}' nearly  after  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Cliristian  sera,  \\  hen  the  religion  of  Budha  found 
its  Tvay  from  Tibet  into  China. 

^\llether  the  burning  of  the  works  of  the  learned  in  China 
did  or  did  not  happen,  appears,  as  already  observed,  to  admit 
of  some  doubt ;  but  the  antiquit}^,  and  the  authenticity,  of  the 
fn-e  king,  or  classics,  seems  to  be  sufficiently  established. 
And  considering  the  early  periods  in  \\^hich  they  were  written, 
they  certainly  demonstrate  a  \try  superior  degree  of  civiliza- 
tion. Is  has  been  observed  that,  in  this  countr}^,  the  arts,  the 
sciences,  and  literature,  are  not  progressive ;  and  the  five  king 
would  lead  one  to  conclude,  that  they  have  rather  even  been 
retrograde  than  stationary.     The  names  of  these  works  are  : 

1.  sHoo-KiNG.  A  collection  of  records  and  annals  of  various 

princes,  commencing  more  than  2000  years  before  Christ. 

2.  SHEE-KIKG.     Odes,  sonnets,  and  maxims;  most  of  them 

so  abundant  in  metaphor,  and  so  obscure,  that  much  of 
the  sense  is  to  be  made  out  by  the  translator. 

3.  YE-KiNG.     The  perfect  and  the  broken  lines  of  Fo-shee  ; 

the  most  ancient  relict  in  Cliina,  and  perhaps  tlie  first 
attempt  at  written  language  :  now  perfectly  incompre- 
hensible. 

4.  CHUNG-CHOC.    Spring  and  autumn.  The  histor}'' of  some 

of  the  kings  of  Loo:  the  work  principally  of  Cong-foo-tse. 

5.  LEE-KEE  Ceremonies  and  moral  duties.    A  compilation  of 

Cong-foo-tse. 
The  lines  of  Fo-shee  puzzled  even  the  great  philosopher  of 
the  country,  who  declared  himself  dissatisfied   ^\  ith  all  the 
explanations  of  the  commentators.     The  learned  and  inge- 
nious Leibnitz  fancied  he  discovered  in  them  a  system  of 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  185 

binary  arithmetic,  by  which  all  the  operations  and  results  of 
numbers  might  be  performed,  witli  the  help  of  tuo  figures 
only,  the  c}'j^her  or  zero,  0,  and  an  unit  1,  the  former  being 
considered  as  the  constant  multiple  of  the  latter,  as  10  is  of 
the  unit.  Thus  1  would  stand  for  1,  10  for  two,  11  for  three, 
100  for  four,  imd  so  on.  It  is  unnecessar}'^  to  obser-ve,  Avith 
how  many  inconveniences  such  a  system  A\oukl  be  attei^.ded, 
when  reduced  to  practice.  This  discovery  of  the  binary  sc- 
ries, which  the  mathematician,  in  all  probability,  considered 
only  as  a  pliilosophical  plaything,  was  communicated  to  Fa- 
ther Bouvet  the  Jesuit,  \\ho,  happening  at  tliat  time  to  be 
engaged  in  decyphering  the  lines  of  Fo-shee,  caught  the  idea, 
and,  in  an  extacy  of  joy,  proclaimed  to  the  world  that  Leibnitz 
had  solved  the  Fo-sheean  riddle. 

The  missionaries  of  the  Romish  church  ai^e  so  accustomed 
to  the  mysteries  with  which  dieir  religion  abounds,  that  e\'ery 
thing  they  meet  with,  and  do  not  understand,  among  a  strange 
people,  is  also  resohed  into  a  myster}%  Thus,  the  foUowirig 
figure,  which  the  Chinese,  in  allusion  to  the  regular  lines  de- 
scribed on  the  back-shell  of  some  of  the  tortoises,  metaphori- 
cally call  the  mystic  tortoise,  has  been  supposed  by  some  of 
these  gentlemen  to  contain  the  most  sublime  doctrines  of 
Chinese  philosophy  ;  that  they  embrace  a  summary  of  all  that 
is  perfect  and  imperfect,  represent  the  numbers  of  heaven  and 
earth,  and  such  like  jargon,  which,  it  obviously  appears,  is 
no  less  unintelligible  to  themselves  than  to  their  readers. 

These  famous  lines,  supposed  to  be  found  on  the  back  of  a 
tortoise,  are  the  following  : 


A  a 


186  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

Who  does  not  perceive,  at  a  single  glance,  in  this  figure  the 
common  school-boy's  trick  of  the  magic  square,  or  placing 
the  nine  digits  so  that  thcj-  shall  make  the  sum  of  fifteen  every- 
way, thus, 


.i     9 

4 

i        3    \   i> 

6  1  1     b 

and  what  are  the  perfect  and  imperfect  numbers,  but  the  odd 
and  even  digits  distinguished  by  open  and  close  points  ?  In 
like  manner,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  the  several  ways  of 
placing  tlies'e  open  and  close  points,  that  occur  in  Chinese 
books,  are  literally  nothing  more  tlian  the  different  combina- 
tions of  the  nine  numerical  figures,  for  which  they  are  sub- 
stituted: 

Most  of  the  other  king  have  been  translated,  M'^hoUy  or  in 
part,  and  published  in  France.  It  may  be  observed,  however, 
that  all  the  Chinese  writings,  translated  by  the  missionai'ies, 
have  undergone  so  great  a  change  in  their  European  dress, 
that  they  ought  rather  to  be  looked  upon  as  originals  than 
translations.  It  is  true,  a  literal  translation  \\-ould  be  nonsense ; 
but  there  is  a  great  difference  bet\i'een  giving  the  meaning  of 
an  author  and  v.Titing  a  commentary'  upon  him.  Sir  William 
Jones  obser\'es  that  the  only  method  of  doing  justice  to  tlie 
poetical  compositiojis  of  tlie  Asiatics  is  to  give,  first  a  verbal, 
and  then  a  metrical,  ^■ersion.  The  most  barren  subject,  under 
his  elegant  pen,  becomes  replete  ^^-ith  beauties.  The  follow- 
ing stanza,  from  one  of  the  odes  of  the  shee-king,  is  an  instance 
of  this_remai-k.  It  is  calculated  to  have  been  wiitten  about  the 
age  of  Homer  ;  and  it  consists  of  fifteen  characters. 

1  2  3  4         5  6 

The  peach-tree,  how  fair,  how  gi^aceful,  its  leaves,  how  bloom- 

7  8  9  10  11 

ing,  how  pleasant  ;  such  is  a  bride,  when   she  enters  her 

12        13     14  15 

bridegroom's  house,  and  attends  to  her  whole  family. 

This  is  a  fair  translation  ;  as  no  more  expletives  are  inserted 
than  such  as  were  necessary  to  make  up  tlie  sense  ;  and  it  is 
thus  paraplirased  by  Sir  WilHaiifi  Jones. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  isr 

"  Gay  child  of  Spring,  the  garden's  queen, 
"  Yon  peach  tree  charms  tlie  roving  sight ; 
"  Its  fragrant  leaves,  how  richly  green ! 
"  Its  blossoms,  how  divinely  bright 

♦<  So  softly  smiles  the  blooming  bride, 
"  By  love  and  conscious  virtue  led, 
"  O'er  her  new  mansion  to  preside, 
"  And  placid  joys  around  her  spread." 

The  late  emperor  Kicn-Long  was  considered  among  tlie 
best  poets  of  modem  times,  and  the  most  celebrated  of  his 
compositions  is  an  ode  in  praise  of  tea,  ^hich  has  been 
painted  on  all  the  teapots  in  the  empire.  The  following  is  a 
verbal  translation,  with  such  auxiliaries  only  as  were  necessaiy 
to  make  the  sense  complete. 

"  On  a  slow  lire  seta  tripod,  whose  colour  and  texture  shew 
"  its  long  use  ;  fill  it  with  clear  snow-water  ;  boil  it  as  long 
"  as  would  be  necessary  to  turn  fish  white,  and  cra}-fish  red  ; 
"  throw  it  upon  the  delicate  leaves  of  choice  tea,  in  a  cup  of 
*'  yoo6  (a  piiiticular  sort  of  porcelain).  Let  it  remain  as  long 
*'  as  the  vapour  rises  in  a  cloud,  and  leaves  onl}-  a  thin  mist 
*'  floating  on  the  surfiice.  At  your  ease,  drink  tliis  precious  li- 
*'  quor,  ^^  hich  will  chase  away  the  five  causes  of  trouble.  We 
*'  can  taste  and  feel,  but  not  describe,  the  state  of  repose  pro- 
"  duced  by  a  liquor  thus  prepared." 

He  wTOte,  likew  ise,  a  long  descriptive  poem  on  the  city  and 
country  of  Moukden,  in  Man-tchoo  Tartiuy,  whichlias  been 
translated  by  some  of  the  missionaries,  and  appears  to  possess 
much  more  merit  than  his  ode  on  tea,  of  which,  however,  it  is 
difficult  to  judge  without  a  thorough  kno\Vledg'e  of  the  lan- 
guage, as  tlie  ode  may  owe  its  chief  beauties  and  its  fame 
more  to  the  choice  of  the  characters  than  to  the  sounds,  literal 
sense,  or  versification.  To  an  European,  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage appeiirs  to  have  few  elegancies  :  it  wants  all  the  little  auxi- 
liaries that  add  grace  and  energy  to  those  of  Europe.  In  the 
Chinese,  the  beauty  of  an  expression  depends  entirely  on  the 
choice  of  the  character,  and  not  on  any  selection  or  arrange- 
ment of  the  monosyllabic  sounds.  A  character  uniting  a  happy 
association  of  ideas  has  the  same  effect  upon  the  eye  of  tlie 
Chinese  as  a  general  theorem  expressed  in  symlDols  has  on  a 
mathematician ;  but  in  both  cases  a  man  must  be  learned  lo 
feel  the  beauties  of  tlie  concise  expression.    Even  in  speaking, 


188  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

the  liinguage  lias  few  expleti\'es  :  "  English  good,  Cliinese 
better," — "  to-day  go,  to-moiTow  come," — sea  no  bound, 
Kiang  no  bottom ; — "  well,  not  well ;" — are  modes  of  expres- 
sion in  which  an  European  Avill  not  find  much  elegance. 

In  addition  to  the  defects  of  the  language,  there  is  another 
reason  whj^  poetiy  is  not  likely  ever  to  become  a  favourite  pur- 
suit, or  to  be  cultivated  witii  success,  among  the  Chinese.  The 
state  of  society  we  have  seen  to  be  such  as  entirely  to  exclude 
the  passion  of  love.  A  man,  in  this  country,  marries  only 
from  necessity,  or  for  tlie  sake  of  obtaining  an  heir  to  his  pro- 
peiiy,  who  may  sacrifice  to  his  manes,  or  because  the  maxims 
of  the  government  have  made  it  disgraceful  to  remain  in  a  state 
of  celibacy.  The  fine  sentiments  that  arise  from  the  mutual 
endearment  of  two  persons  enamoured  of  each  other  can, 
therefore,  have  no  place  in  the  breast  of  a  Chinese  :  and  it  is 
to  the  effusions  of  a  heart  thus  circumstanced  that  poetry  owes 
some  of  its  greatest  channs.  Nor  can  they  be  considered  as  a 
nation  of  wairiors :  and  war,  next  to  love,  has  ever  been  the 
favourite  theme  of  the  muses. 

The  language  is  much  better  adapted  to  the  concise  style  of 
ethics  than  the  sublime  flights  of  poetiy.  The  moral  precepts 
of  Cong-foo-tse  display  an  excellent  mind  in  the  "writer,  and 
Mould  do  honour  to  any  age  and  nation.  The  foUowmg  will 
serve  as  a  specimen  of  his  subjects,  style,  and  manner. 

"  There  is  one  clear  rule  of  conduct :  to  act  with  sincerity ; 
"  and  to  conform  with  all  one's  soul,  and  with  all  one's  strength, 
"  to  this  universal  rale — do  not  any  thing  to  another  that  you 
*'  would  not  wish  another  should  do  to  you." 

How  conformable  is  this  sentiment,  as  well  as  the  words  in 
which  it  is  expressed,  to  that  of  the  great  Author  of  our  reli- 
gion; a  religion  whose  "  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and 
"  all  whose  paths  are  peace." 

"  Five  things  ought  to  be  well  observed  in  the  world: 
"  Justice  between  the  prince  and  the  subject;  affection  be- 
"  tween  father  and  son ;  fidelity  between  man  and  wife ;  sub- 
''  ordination  among  brothers;  concord  among  friends. 

"  There  are  three  radical  virtues :  prudence  to  discern,  uni- 
*'  versal  benevolence  to  embrace  (all  mankind) ;  courage  to 
"  sustain. 

"  What  passes  in  a  man's  mind  is  unknown  to  others :  if 
"  you  ai'e  wise,  take  great  care  of  what  none  but  yourself  can 


<( 


see. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  189 

*'  Examples  are  better  for  the  people  than  precepts. 

*'  A  wise  man  is  his  own  most  severe  censor :  he  is  liis  own 
"  accuser,  his  own  evidence,  and  his  own  judge." 

"  A  nation  may  accomphsh  more  by  bravery  than  by  f:re 
"  and  water.  I  never  knew  a  people  perish,  who  had  courage 
"  for  their  support." 

"  An  upright  man  will  not  pursue  a  crooked  path :  he  fol- 
"  lows  the  straight  road,  and  walks  therein  secure." 

Having  taken  this  short  view  of  their  language  and  literature, 
I  sliall  now  proceed  to  shew  the  present  stiite  of  the  arts  and 
sciences,  as  far  as  the  communications  I  had,  not  only  widi  the 
missionaiies,  but  also  with  some  of  the  most  learned  Chinese, 
will  allow  me  to  pronounce  on  tliese  points.  The  observations 
I  have  to  make  must,  of  course,  be  very  general ;  minute  par- 
ticulars will  not  be  expected  in  a  work  of  this  nature.  There  is 
no  branch  of  science  wliich  die  Chinese  affect  to  value  so  much, 
and  understand  so  httle,  as  astronomy.  The  necessity,  indeed, 
of  being  able  to  mark,  v\'ith  some  degree  of  precision,  the  re- 
turns of  the  seasons  and  certain  periods,  in  so  large  a  commu- 
nit}-,  must  have  directed  an  early  attention  of  the  government 
to  this  subject ;  and,  accordingly,  we  find,  that  an  astronomical 
board  has  formed  one  of  the  state  establishments  from  the  earli- 
est periods  of  their  history.  Yet,  so  little  progress  have  they 
made  in  this  science,  that  the  only  part  of  its  functions,  which 
can  be  called  astronomical,  has  long  been  committed  to  the 
care  of  foreigners,  whom  they  affect  to  hold  in  contempt,  and 
to  consider  as  bai'barians.  The  principal  object  of  this  board 
is  to  frame  and  to  publish  a  national  calendar,  and  to  point  out 
to  the  government  the  suitable  times  and  seasons  for  its  import- 
ant undertakings.  Even  when  the  marriage  of  a  prince  or  prin- 
cess of  the  blood  is  about  to  take  place,  the  conmiissioners  of 
astronomy  must  appoint  a  fortunate  day  for  the  celebration  of 
the  nuptials,  v\"hich  is  amiounced  in  form  in  the  Pekin  giizette. 

In  this  important  almanack,  as  in  the  Greek  and  Roman 
calendars,  are  inserted  all  die  sui)poscd  lucky  and  unluckv 
days  in  the  year,  predictions  of  the  weather,  days  proper  for 
taking  medicine,  commencing  journeys,  taking  home  a  Vviie, 
laying  the  foundation  of  a  house,  and  other  matters  of  moment, 
for  entering  upon  which  particular  times  are  assigned.  To 
the  superintendency  of  the  Chinese  members  of  tliis  august 
tribunal  is  committed  the  astrological  part ;  a  comniit!:ee  of 
whom  is  selected  annually  for  the  execution  of  this  important 


190  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

task.  Whether  the  men  of  letters,  as  they  call  themselves, 
really  believe  in  the  absurdities  of  judicial  astrolog}^  or  whe- 
tlicr  they  mav  think  it  necessar}'  to  encourage  the  obser\^ance 
of  popular  superstitions,  on  political  considerations,  I  will  not 
take  upon  me  to  decide.  If,  however,  they  should  happen  to 
possess  any  such  superior  kno\\'ledge,  gi-eat  credit  is  due  to 
them  for  acting  the  force  with  such  apparent  earnestness,  and 
with  so  much  solemnity.  The  duration  of  the  same  system 
has  certainly  been  long  enough  for  them  to  ha,ye  discovered 
that  the  multitude  ai"e  more  effectually  governed  by  opinion 
tliiui  by  power. 

The  phenomena  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  to  an  enlightened 
and  intelligent  mind,  furnish  tlie  most  grand  and  sublime  spec- 
tacle in  nature ;  to  the  ignorant  and  superstitious,  the  most 
a\\ful.  The  common  people  of  all  countries,  and  in  all  ages, 
ha\e  considered  the  occasional  privation  of  the  light  of  die  t\\o 
gi'eat  luminaries  of  heaven  as  the  forerunners  of  some  extraor- 
dinary event,  ^vhilst  the  more  intelligent  part  of  the  community 
have  turned  these  superstitious  notions  to  their  advantage. 
Thales  is  said  to  have  been  able  to  calculate  the  returns  of 
eclipses  six  hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ;  of 
course,  he  was  well  acquainted  \\ith  the  causes  by  w^hich  they 
were  produced ;  yet  his  countrymen  Mere  always  filled  with 
superstition  and  terror  on  the  e\'ent  of  an  eclipse.  Plutarch 
has  observed  that  Pericles  learned  fi'om  Anaxagoras  to  over- 
come the  terrors  ^vhich  the  various  phenomena  of  the  heavens 
inspired  into  those  M'ho  knew  not  their  causes ;  and  he  men- 
tions a  striking  proof  which  he  gave  of  this  knoA\'ledge,  on  his 
expedition  against  Peloponnesus,  when  there  happened  an 
eclipse  of  the  sun.  The  sudden  darkness,  being  considered 
as  an  omen  unfavourable  to  the  object  of  the  expedition,  occa- 
sioned a  general  consternation.  Pericles,  observing  the  pilot 
of  his  own  galley  to  be  frightened  and  confused,  took  his  cloak 
and  placed  it  before  liis  e}-es,  asking  him  at  the  same  time  if 
he  found  any  thing  alarming,  or  of  evil  presage,  in  what  he 
then  did?  and  upon  his  ans\A-ering  in  the  negative  :  "  Where 
'*  then  is  tlie  difference,"  said  Pericles,  "  between  this  cover- 
"  in.g  and  the  other,  except  that  something  of  greater  extent 
*'  than  my  cloak  depri\'es  us  of  the  light  of  the  sun'?"  Nor 
can  it  be  doubted,  that  Alexander  when,  on  alike  occasion,  pre- 
vious to  the  battle  of  Arbela,  he  commanded  a  sacrifice  to  be 
made  to  the  sun,  the  moon  and  the  eartli,  as  being  the  three 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  191 

powers  to  which  eclipses  were  owing,  did  it  merely  to  appease 
the  superstitious  notions  of  his  army.  To  suppose  him  igno- 
rant of  their  causes  would  be  paying  an  ill  compliment  to  liis 
great  master.  Thus  it  might  ha^'e  been  with  regaid  to  the  Chi- 
nese government,  which,  ^vhether  through  ignorance  or  policy, 
still  continues  to  obser^  e  \\'ith  the  greatest  solemn  it}-  the  same 
ceremonies,  or  nearly  so,  on  the  event  of  an  eclipse,  \\  hich 
were  in  use  among  tlie  Egjptians,  Greeks,  and  Romans,  near 
two  thousiind  years  ago.  SVHien  the  moon  \vas  darkened  by  an 
eclipse,  their  drums  and  clarions  and  trumpets  were  sounded, 
under  the  notion  that,  by  their  shrill  and  loud  noise,  they  might 
assist  in  relieving  the  laboui iPig  goddess. 

"  A  vast  eclipse  darkens  tlie  neighbouring  planet  ; 
*'  Sound  there,  sound  all  our  instruments  of  war! 
"  Clai'ions  and  trumpets,  silver,  brass,  ajid  iron, 
"  And  beat  a  thousand  drums  to  help  her  labour  !" 

The  brazen  gong  is  violently  beat  by  the  Chinese  on  the 
same  occasion  ;  and  that  such  an  event  may  not  ])ass  imob- 
served,  and  the  luininaiy  thereb}-  be  deprived  of  the  usuiil 
assistance  of  music,  to  frighten  a\\  ay  or  to  chaiTn  the  dragon, 
■which  they  suppose  to  ha^e  seized  upon  it,  the  gi'cat  ofiiccrs 
of  state,  in  every  city  and  principal  to\vn,  are  instructed  to 
give  public  notice  of  the  time  it  w  ill  liappen,  according  to  the 
calculations  of  the  national  almimack.     A  rude  projection  of 
a  lunar  eclipse,  that  happened  whilst  we  Mere  at  Tong-choo, 
w^s  stuck  up  in  the  comers  of  the  streets ;  all  the  ofticcrs 
were  in  mourning,  and  all  business  was  suspended  for  that 
day.     When  the  Dutch  embassadors  were  in  Pekin,  the  sun 
was  eclipsed  on  tlie  21st  of  Januaiy,  1795,  which  happened 
to  be  the  first  day  of  their  ne^\ -}eai' :  a  da}-  observed  through 
the  whole  empire  with  the  greatest  festivity  and  rejoicing; 
and  almost  tlie  only  day  on  w  hich  the  bulk  of  the  people  re- 
frain from  their  respective  occupations.    The  em!:>as&ador  and 
his  suite  were  summoned  to  court  at  the  usual  hour  of  three 
in  the  morning.     On  arriAing  at  the  palace,  diey  \\ ere  told 
tliat,  in  consequence  of  an  eclipse  of  the  sun, 'which  was 
about  to  happen  on  thst  da}',  and  \\hich  Mas  a  most  unfor- 
tunate event,  portending  an  unhappy  year  to  their  countr}-, 
the  emperor  would  not  be   visible  for  three  da}-s,    during 
which  time  die  whole  court  would  go  into  mourning ;  that 
the  amusements,   feasts,  andj  entertainments,  usual  on  tliis 


192  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

particular  day,  Avould  be  suspended,  from  one  end  of  the  em- 
pire to  the  other. 

Before  an  eclipse  happens,  the  members  of  the  mathema- 
tical board,  and  otiicr  leai-ncd  men  in  office,  assemble  near 
the  palace,  each  having  in  his  hand  a  sketch  of  the  obscura- 
tion, in  order  to  ^vitness  the  tiuth  of  the  astronomer's  calcu- 
lation. But  if  these  people  were  not  all  interested  in  making 
the  calculation  to  agree  w  itli  the  time  and  odier  circumstances 
of  the  eclipse,  the  astronomers  would  run  no  great  hazard  of 
being  deetcted  in  an  error,  proAided  it  was  not  a  very  glaring 
one ;  as  they  have  no  instiiiments  for  measuring  time  witli 
any  tolerable  degi'ee  of  accuracy.  The  moment  tlie  eclipse 
begins,  they  all  fall  down  on  their  knees,  and  bow  their  heads 
nine  times  to  the  ground,  during  which  is  struck  up  a  horri- 
ble crash  of  gongs,  kettle  drums,  trumpets,  and  other  noisy 
instruments,  intended  to  scare  the  devouring  dragon. 

From  the  observance  of  such  extravagant  ceremonies  it 
would  not  be  fair  to  infer  their  total  ignorance  of  tlie  prin- 
ciples of  astronomy;  but  that  such  is  really  the  case,  the 
latter  part  of  their  history  furnishes  abundant  testimony.  In 
the  thirteenth  century,  when  Gen-gis  Klian,  tlie  Mongul 
Tartar,  first  entered  China,  and  his  successor  Kublai  Khan 
effected  the  conquest  of  tlie  country,  the  greatest  disorder 
and  confusion  prevailed  in  their  chronology.  They  were 
neither  able  to  regulate  the  reckoning  of  time,  nor  to  settie 
tlie  limits  of  the  different  proA  inces,  nor  even  to  ascertain  the 
divisions  of  hmds,  as  allotted  to  the  several  districts.  Kub- 
lai, accorchng  to  their  own  annals,  held  out  encouragement 
for  learned  men  to  frequent  his  court  from  every  part  of  the 
w  orld,  and  through  the  means  of  the  missionaries,  both  of 
tlic  Christian  and  Maliomedan  faith,  but  principally  the  latter, 
and  perhaps  still  more  through  the  descendants  of  the  Greeks, 
w^ho  anciently  settied  in  Bactriana,  many  impoitant  improve- 
ments were  then  introduced  into  China.  He  caused  a  regular 
suney  to  be  taken  of  tlie  whole  empire;  he  adjusted  their 
chronology,  and  corrected  tlie  errors  of  their  astronomical 
observations ;  he  imported  various  mathematical  and  astrono- 
mical instruments  from  Balk  and  Samarcand  (such  as  were 
then  in  use  among  the  Chinese  being  of  a  rude  construction, 
and  unfit  to  make  observations  of  the  heavenly  bodies  with 
any  tolerable  degree  of  accuracy) ;  and  he  repaired  the  grand 
communication  by  water,  that  connects  the  northern  witih  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  193 

southern  extremities  of  the  empire,  a  work,  in  the  contem- 
plation of  which  the  mind  is  not  more  strongly  impressed 
with  the  grandeur  and  magnitude  of  the  object  than  with  tlie 
pleasing  sense  of  its  important  utilit}-. 

In  some  of  the  early  accounts  of  China,  published  in  Eu- 
rope, Ave  find  the  description  of  ceitain  instruments,  said  to 
have  been  discovered  on  a  mountain  neai'  the  city  of  Nankin, 
and  afterwards  placed  by  the  Chinese  partly  in  that  capital  and 
partly  in  Pekin.  On  a  more  accurate  examination  of  those 
mstruments,  it  appeared  that  they  had  all  been  constructed  for 
some  particular  place  lying  under  the  37th  pai-allel  of  latitude ; 
from  whence  it  foUoned,  that  iUl  the  observations  made  Avith 
them  at  Pekin,  which  is  in  39°  55'  noitli,  as  well  as  all  those 
made  at  Nankin,  in  32*^  4'  nortli,  must  have  been  entirely 
false  :  and  the  very  act  of  placing  tliem  so  distant  from  the  pa- 
rallel for  v\  hich  they  were  constructed  is  in  itself  a  sufficient 
proof  of  the  ignonmce  of  tlie  Cliincse  in  mattei's  of  this  kind. 
Mr.  Pauw  has  given  the  most  probable  conjecture  respecting 
those  instruments.  He  supposes  tliem  to  have  been  made  at 
Balk,  in  Bactriana,  by  some  of  those  Gre^s  a\  ho  obtained  the 
go\'ernment  of  that  pro\ince  under  the  soKessors  of  .Aiexan- 
der ;  and  that  they  had  passed  into  China  during  the  period  of 
the  Mongul  government. 

The  death  of  Kublai  Khan  was  speedily  folloA\ed  by  the 
total  expidsion  of  the  Taitars  from  China,  and,  most  probably 
at  the  same  time,  of  all  those  learned  men  they  l^uad  been  tlie 
means  of  introducing  into  the  countrj- :  for  M'hen  the  empire 
was  again  subdued  by  tlie  Man-tehoo  Tartars,  whose  race  no\r 
fills  the  throne,  Sun-chee,  the  first  emperor  of  the  present  dy- 
nasty, observes  in  an  edict,  published  by  him  in  1650,  that, 
since  the  expulsion  of  the  Monguls,  the  Cliinese  had  not  been 
able  to  make  a  correct  almanack ;  and  that  error  had  been  ac- 
cumulating on  error  in  their  astronomical  observations  and 
chronology.  At  this  time,  some  Mahomedans  were  again 
found  to  sT.iperintehd  the  construction  of  the  calendar ;  but  the 
offite  devolving,  at  length,  upon  a  Chinese,  the  unfortunate  al- 
manack-maker liappened  to  insert  a  false  intercalation,  assign- 
ing thirteen  months  to  the  yeai'  1670,  when  it  should  have 
contained  no  more  tlian  twelve.  This  mistake  was  an  event 
too  fortunate  to  be  o\'erlooked  by  some  catholic  missioniu'ies 
who,  at  tliat  time,  happened  to  be  in  the  capital.  They  saw 
the  advantages  tt)  be  derived  from  convincing  the  Tiutars  of 

n  b 


194  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

the  ignoi^aiice  of  the  Cliinese  in  a  matter  of  the  last  importance 
to  the  government ;  and  they  liad  little  doubt  of  success,  where 
prejudice  was  already  operating  in  their  favour.  In  short,  the 
Europeans  succeeded ;  the  almanacks  of  that  year  were  de- 
clared defective,  were  called  in,  a  new  edition  printed  off,  and 
the  poor  almanack-maker  is  said  to  have  been  strangled. 

Four  German  Jesuits  were  then  appointed  to  fill  the  vacant 
places  in  the  tribunal  of  mathematics;  and,  being  men  of 
Iciiming,  they  pro^■cd  of  no  small  use  at  court.  After  these, 
the  Poituguese  succeeded  to  the  appointments  of  regulating 
the  calendai';  tlu-ee  of  whom,  as  already  observed,  are  now 
entrusted  with  this  important  office.  Fortunately  for  these 
gentlemen,  the  Chinese  ha^  e  no  means  of  detecting  any  little 
inaccuracies  that  may  happen  in  their  calculations.  I  saw,  and 
conversed  v.ith,  numbers  of  their  learned  men,  at  the  palace  of 
Yuen-min-yuen,  but  I  can  safely  say,  that  not  a  single  Chi- 
nese, nor  a  Tartar,  A\'ho  shewed  themselves  there,  were  pos- 
sessed of  the  slightest  knowledge  of  astronomy,  nor  one  who 
could  explain  any  of  the  yaiious  phenomena  of  tlie  heavenly 
bodies.  Astronomy  -with  them  consists  entirely  in  a  certain 
jargon  of  judicial  Jferology ;  and  they  remain  firmly  attached 
to  the  belief  of  the  doctrines  of  their  great  philosopher,  deli- 
vered more  than  two  thousand  years  ago ;  ^vhich  teach  tliem 
that  "  tlie  heaA'cn  is  round,  the  eartii  a  square  fixed  in  the  mid- 
*'  die ;  the  other  four  elements  placed  at  its  four  sides :  water 
*'  to  the  north ;  fire  to  the  south ;  ^^"Ood  to  the  east ;  and  me- 
"  tal  to  the  west ;"  aiid  tliey  believe  the  stai-s  to  be  stuck,  like 
so  many  nails,  at  equal  distances  from  the  earth,  in  the  blue 
■vault  cf  heaven. 

As  to  the  numerous  eclipses  taken  notice  of  in  the  records 
of  the  country,  they  are  mere  registers,  noted  down  w^henever 
they  happened,  and  not  predictions  or  the  result  of  calculations. 
It  does  not  appeai%  indeed,  tliat  tlie  Chinese  were,  at  any  time, 
able  to  predict  an  eclipse,  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said 
in  their  favour  on  this  subject.  The  reputed  Chinese  tables, 
published  by  father  Couplet,  ha\-e  been  detected  to  be  those 
of  Tycho  Brahe ;  and  Cassini  found  the  chronology  of  their 
eclipses,  published  by  Martinus,  to  be  erroneous,  and  tlieir 
returns  impossible.  It  could  not,  indeed,  be  otherwise  :  the 
defectiveness  of  the  calendar  must  necessarily  falsify  all  tlieir 
records  as  to  time. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  193 

Had  the  missionaries  been  disposed  to  confer  a  real  service 
on  the  Chinese,  instead  of  misleading-  the  world  by  their  strange 
and  wonderful  accounts  of  this  people,  instead  of  besto^^  ino* 
so  much  time  in  tnmslating  into  Chinese  a  set  of  logarithm 
tables  for  the  use  of  Kaung-shee,  the  second  emperor  of  the 
present  dynast}^,  of  ;vhich  they  pretend  he  was  so  ibnd  tluit  lu: 
always  carried  them  about  with  him  suspended  to  his  s^irdic, 
they  should  rather  have  taught  them  the  use  and  the  con^■:.'- 
nience  of  the  Arabic  numbers,  of  >vhose  combinations  and  re- 
sults their  own  language  is  not  capable,  and  have  instructed  u 
few  of  their  youth  in  the  principles  of  arithmetic  and  tlie  mathe- 
matics. For  such  an  omission,  hoAvcver,  humim  nature  can 
readily  find  an  excuse.  It  w  ould  be  too  gicat  an  instance  of 
self-denial  to  relinquish  the  advantages  and  the  credit  m  hich 
their  superior  skill  had  gained  them  OAcr  a  last  empire,  by 
making  tlie  individuals  of  that  empire  paiticipate  in  their  kno\\'- 
ledge. 

When  we  reflect,  for  a  moment,  how  man}'  perplexities  and 
difliculties  A\-ere  occasioned  b}'  the  in-egular  coincidences  of 
the  solar  and  lunar  periods,  in  the  calendlirs  of  Europe,  from 
the  time  of  Julius  Ceesar  to  the  altering  of  the  style  by  pope 
Gregory,  we  may  readily  conceive  ho\\-  great  must  be  the  er- 
rors in  the  clironolog}'  of  a  country,  Avhere  the  inhabitants  aie 
entirely  ignorant  e^en  of  the  first  principles  of  asti'onom}^  and 
where  they  depended  on  the  adventitious  aid  of  foreigners,  to 
enable  tliem  to  carry  into  execution  one  of  the  most  important 
concerns  of  the  j^overnment. 

Every  thing  of  their  own  invention  and  discover}'-  cairies 
with  it  such  strong  marks  of  originality,  as  cannot  easily  be 
mistaken.  The  language  declares  itself  to  be,  most  unques- 
tionably, the  production  of  the  country ;  so  does  the  mariner's 
compass ;  and  they  have  a  cycle,  or  period,  to  assist  tlieir 
chronology,  of  which  I  think  none  \\ill  dispute  with  them  the 
invention.  In  tiieir  records  it  is  canicd  back  to  the  time  of  tb.e 
emperor  Whang-tee,  the  third  from  Fo-shee.  This  cycle, 
consisting  of  sixty  years,  has  no  reference  to  the  periods  of  the 
motions  or  coincidences  of  the  sun  and  moon,  as  one  of  the 
same  period  among  the  Hindus,  but  is  used  mereh^  as  our 
centu^,  to  distinguish  time  into  aeras  or  ages.  Instead  of  de- 
nominating any  given  year,  die  first,  second,  or  third  year  of 
such  a  cycle,  they  have  assinned  two  sets  of  chaiacters ;  one 
i>et  consisting  of  ten,  and  the  other  of  twelve  :  the  first  are 


196  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA, 

called  the  ten  roots,  and  the  second  the  twelve  branches,  The 
combination  of  a  root  and  a  branch  gives  a  name  for  the  year  j 
and  the  different  permutations,  of  ^vhich  they  are  capable, 
supply  them  with  sixty  distinct  titles,  making  the  complete 
cycle  of  sixty  years.  The  nature  of  this  period  may  be  ren- 
dered familiaj'  to  such  as  are  not  conversant  with  the  combi- 
nation of  nurnbers,  by  assuming  tlie  numerals  from  1  to  10 
for  the  10  roots,  and  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  from  a  to  m, 
for  the  twelve  branches,  and  by  placing  them  in  a  circle,  in  the 
following  manner,  where  the  cycle  begins  with  the  letter  a. 


10 

■ 

9 

8 

O 

\ 

6 

> 

*) 

4 

S 

to 

V 

cy 

\ 
V 

2 

M 

-t 

/                                  CP 

yT 

l>      iO      CO      >— I      CTl       *^ 


o      Ca     Or     <l     «0     H* 

■A 


Ad 


^  ^  9  ^  ^ 


4" 


/  8 

^  OT 

f 


& 
\ 

c. 


Supposing  these  letters  and  figures  to  be  Chinese  chai'acters, 
the  first  year  of  any  cycle  would  be  called  1a,  the  second  2b, 
the  third  3c,  and  so  on  to  10k,  the  tenth  yeai';  the  eleventh 
Mould  be  1l,  the  twelfth  2m,  the  thirteenth  3a,  and  the  six- 
lieth  IQm,  when  the  whole  revolution  wpuld  be  completed. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  197 

This  cycle,  though  ahvays  used  in  the  records  of  tlielr  histo- 
Tj,  never  appears  in  tlie  date  of  pubfic  acts.  These  only  spe- 
cify the  time  of  the  reign  unckr  Avhich  they  ai'c  given,  as  the 
first,  second,  or  third  da}'  of  the  first,  second,  or  third  moon, 
of  the  first,  second,  or  third  yeai*  of  tiie  reign  of  such  or  such 
an  emperor. 

Little  progress  as  they  appear  to  have  made  in  tlv2  science  of 
astronomy,  their  knowledge  of  geography,  which  supposes, 
indeed,  an  acquaintance  with  the  former,  is  equidly  Umited. 
Their  oami  empire  \vas  considered  to  occupy  the  middle  space 
of  die  square  surflice  of  the  eaith,  the  rest  of  which  was  made 
up  of  islands.  When  the  Jesuits  first  entered  China,  they 
found  the  charts,  even  of  their  own  countr}-,  rude  and  incor- 
rect sketches,  \A'ithout  any  scale  or  proportion,  wherein  a  ridge 
of  mountains  covered  a  whole  pro\'ince,  and  a  river  swept 
away  half  of  another.  At  present  the}'  have  neat  and  accurate 
maps  of  the  country,  copied  after  the  original  survey  of  the 
whole  empire,  undertaken  and  completed  by  die  Jesuits,  alter 
sevei'al  years  of  indefatigable  labour. 

Although  the  Chinese  language  be  unfavourable  for  nume- 
rical combinations,  it  is  admirably  adapted  for  the  concise 
operations  of  algebra,  and  the  terse  demonstra^ons  of  geomc- 
tiy,  to  neither  of  ^vhich,  llo^ve^-er,  has  it  ever  been  made 
subservient ;  both  the  one  and  the  other  being  totilly  unknown 
in  the  eountiy.  Their  aridimetic  is  mechanical.  To  find  the 
aggi-egate  of  numbers,  a  machine  is  in  universal  use,  from  the 
man  of  letters  to  the  meanest  shopman  beliind  his  counter. 
By  this  machine,  \^•hicll  is  called  a  S^^•an-pan,  aiithmeticiil 
operations  are  rendered  palpable.  It  consists  of  a  frame  of 
wood,  divided  into  two  compartments  by  a  bar  running  down 
the  middle :  through  this  bar,  at  ridit  angles,  are  inserted  a 
number  of  parallel  Avires,  and  on  each  wire,  in  one  compart- 
ment, are  five  mo\'eable  balls,  and  in  the  other  two.  These 
wu-es  may  be  considered  as  the  ascending  and  descending 
powers  of  a  numeration  table,  proceeding  in  a  tenfold  propor- 
tion ;  so  that  if  a  ball  upon  any  of  the  wires,  in  the  larger  com- 
partment, be  placed  against  the  middle  bar,  and  called  unity, 
or  one,  a  ball  on  the  wire  next  above  it  will  represent  ten,  and 
one  on  the  next  one  hundred ;  so,  also,  a  ball  on  the  wire  next 
below  that  expressing  unit}'  \vill  be  one  tenth,  the  next  lower 
one  hundredth,  and  die  diird  one  thousandth,  pait  of  an  unit ; 
and  the  balls  on  die  corresponding  wires  in  the  smaller  com- 


198 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


paitment  will  be  five,  fifty,  five  hundred,  five  tenths,  five  hun- 
dredths, five  thousandths ;  the  value  or  power  of  each  of  these, 
in  the  smaller  di^dsion,  being  always  five  times  as  much  as  of 
those  in  the  larger.  In  the  foUoAving  figure,  suppose  X  be  as- 
sumed as  the  line  of  units,  the  lines  to  the  right  will  be  inte- 
gers decimally  increasing,  and  those  to  the  left  fractional  parts 
decimally  decreasing ;  and  the  Swan-pan,  in  the  present  posi- 
tion of  the  balls,  will  represent  the  number  573916  ■^^. 


This  is  clearly  a  system  of  decimal  arithmetic,  which,  for 
the  ease,  simplicity,  and  convenience  of  its  operations,  it  were 
to  be  wished  was  generally  adopted  in  Europe,  instead  of  the 
endless  ways  in  which  the  integer  isdifterently  divided  in  different 
countiies,  and  in  the  difterent  provinces  of  the  same  country.  The 
Swan -pan  would  be  no  bad  instrument  for  teaching  to  a  blind 
person  the  operations  of  arithmetic.  Yet,  paradoxical  as  it  may 
seem,  these  operations,  as  performed  by  the  Chinese,  like  their 
tvritten  chai-acters,  require  more  the  exercise  of  the  eye  than 
of  the  mind.  The  simple  addition  or  subtraction  of  the  littie 
bails,  to  or  from  the  middle  bar,  shews  at  once,  by  their  dispo- 
sition on  the  board,  the  result  of  any  required  combination. 
The  invention  of  it,  I  think,  may  fairly  be  attributed  to  the 
Chinese  ;  though  it  has  been  compared,  how  justly  I  carinot 
pretend  to  say,  to  the  Roman  abacus. 

It  has  been  observed,  and,  perhaps,  with  a  great  deal  of 
truth,  tliat  the  arts  which  supply  die  luxuries,  the  convemT 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  199 

cncies,  and  the  necessaries  of  life,  liave  derived  blit  little  advan- 
tage in  the  first  instance  from  the  labours  and  speculations  of 
philosophers ;  that  die  ingenuity  of  artists,  the  accidental  or 
progressive  discoveries  of  common  workmen,  in  any  particular 
branch  of  business,  have  frequently  afforded  data,  from  which, 
by  the  reasonings  and  investigations  of  philosophers,  hints  ha\e 
sometimes  been  struck  out  for  arriving  at  the  same  ends  \y\-  a 
shorter  way  ;  that  die  learned  ai'c,  therefore,  more  properly  to 
be  considered  as  improvers  thim  inventors.  Of  this  molli- 
fying truth,  the  Chinese  afford  many  strong  examples  in  their 
arts  and  manufactures,  and  particularly  in  some  of  those  ope- 
rations that  have  a  reference  to  chemistr}%  which  cannot  here 
be  said  to  exist  as  a  science,  although  several  branches  are  in 
common  practice  as  chemical  arts.  Without  possessing  any 
theory  concerning  the  affinities  of  bodies,  or  attractions  of  co- 
hesion or  aggregation,  diey  clarify  the  muddy  Avaters  of  their 
rivers,  for  immediate  use,  by  stirring  them  round  \vith  a  piece 
of  alum  in  a  hollow  bamboo ;  a  simple  operation,  wliich, 
experience  has  taught  them,  will  aiuse  the  clayey  particles  to 
fall  to  the  bottom  :  and,  ha\'ing  ascertained  the  fact,  they  have 
given  themselves  no  further  trouble  to  explain  the  phcnomo* 
non. 

In  like  manner,  they  are  well  acquainted  with  the  effect  of 
steam  upon  certain  bodies  that  are  immersed  in  it ;  tliat  its  heat  is: 
much  greater  dian  that  of  boiling  water.  Yet,  aldiough  for 
ages  diey  have  been  in  the  constant  practice  of  confining  it  in 
close  vessels,  something  like  Papin's  digester,  for  die  purpose 
of  softening  horn,  from  which  their  tliin,  transparait,  and  capa- 
cious lanterns  are  made,  thej^  seem  not  to  have  discovered  its 
extraordinary  force,  when  thus  pent  up ;  at  least,  they  have 
never  thought  of  applying  that  power  to  puqjoses  which  animal 
strength  has  not  been  adequate  to  eftcct.  They  extract  from 
the  three  kingdoms  of  nature  die  most  brilliant  colours,  which 
they  have  also  acquired  the  art  of  preparing  imd  mixing,  so  as 
to  produce  every  intennediate  tint ;  and,  in  dieir  richest  and 
most  lively  hues,  they  communicate  these  colours  to  silks, 
cottons,  and  paper ;  }-et  they  have  no  theorj^  on  colours. 

The  process  of  smelting  iron  fiom  the  ore  is  well  known 
to  them  ;  and  their  cast-waiT  of  diis  metal  is  remarkably  diin 
and  light.  They  lia\  e  also  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  convert- 
ing it  into  steel ;  but  their  manufictures  of  this  article  iire  not 
to  be  mentioned  with  those  of  Europe,  I  will  not  say  of  Eng- 


200  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

land,  because  it  stands  unriv^illed  in  this  and,  indeed,  almost 
every  other  branch  of  die  arts.  Though  their  cast-iron  waives 
appear  light  and  neat,  and  ai*e  annealed  in  heated  ovens,  to  take 
olF  somewhat  of  their  brittleness,  }'et  their  process  of  render- 
ing cast  iron  miUleable  is  imperfect,  and  all  their  manufactures 
of  "wrought  iron  are  consequently  of  a  very  inferior  kind,  not 
only  in  Avcrkmanship,  but  also  in  the  quality  of  the  metal.  In 
most  of  the  other  metals  their  manufactures  are  above  medio- 
crity. Their  trinkets  of  silver-fiUagree  are  extremely  neat,  and 
their  articles  of  tootanague  ai'e  highly  finished. 

^Vith  die  use  of  cannon  they  pretend  to  lia\'e  been  long 
acquainted.  When  Gengis-Klian  entered  China,  in  the  thir- 
teenth century,  artillery  and  bombs  and  mines  are  said  to  have 
been  employed  on  both  sides ;  yet,  when  the  city  of  Macao, 
in  the  yetir  1621,  made  a  present  to  the  emperor  of  three 
pieces  of  artillery,  it  was  found  necessary  to  send  along  with 
them  three  men  to  instruct  the  Chinese  how  to  use  them. 
The  introduction  of  matchlocks,  I  am  inclined  to  diink,  is  of 
no  verj^  ancient  date ;  they  w'ear  no  marks  of  originality  about 
them,  like  other  aiticles  of  Chinese  invention ;  on  the  con- 
trar}^,  they  are  exact  models  of  the  old  Portuguese  match- 
lock ;  and  differ  in  nothing  from  those  which  still  continue  to 
be  carried,  as  an  article  of  commerce,  by  this  nation  to 
Cochinchina.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  however,  of  the  use 
of  gunpowder  being  known  to  tlie  Chinese  long  before  the 
Cliristian  sera. 

In  a  Ytry  ancient  treatise  on  the  military  art,  there  is  a 
detailed  account  of  tlie  manner  hoAv  to  annoy  an  enemy's 
camp,  by  springing  a  mine  with  gunpowder ;  but  this  treatise 
makes  no  mention  of  cannon.  Fire-^^-orks,  made  generally 
of  gunpovvder,  filings  of  zinc,  camphor,  and  other  ingre- 
dients, are  described  in  various  old  tracts.  It  is  easily  con- 
ceived, that  the  deflagration  of  nitre  was  likely  to  be  first 
noticed  in  those  counttries  where  it  is  the  sjDontaneous  and 
iiVjundant  production  of  the  earth,  winch,  is  the  case  on  the 
ele\'ated  desarts  of  Tartary  and  Thibet,  and  on  the  low  and 
fxtcns.ive  pkiins  of  India  and  Chiiiii.  The  gunpo\^'der,  how- 
c\-cr,  made  by  the  Chinese,  is  extremely  bad.  They  h'dve  no 
])articular  manufactory,  but  each  indi\'idual  makes  his  own. 
It  is  in  fact  one  part  of  the  soldier's  employment  to  prepare 
his  ovv-n  gunpowder.  The  usual  proportions,  according  t» 
Van-ta-giii's  infonnation  are, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  201 

50  pounds  of  nitre, 

25 sulphur, 

25 charcoal. 

They  kno^v  not  the  ait  of  granulating  tlie  paste,  as  in  Eut'cpe, 
but  use  it  in  a  coai^se  powder,  which  sometimes  cake s  tog-tlK r 
into  a  solid  mass ;  and,  from  tlie  impurity  of  the  nitie,  (no 
means  appearing  to  be  employed  or  exti'acting  the  common 
salt  it  usually  contains )  the  least  exposure  to  the  air,  by  attract- 
ing the  moisture,  makes  it  unfit  for  service.  This  may  be  one 
reason  for  their  objection  to  firelocks. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  tlie  three  gi'cat  discoveries  of  the 
magnetic  needle,  of  gunpowder,  and  of  printing,  in  Europe, 
followed  close  upon  the  return  of  the  famous  traveller  Marco 
Polo.  It  \\  as  the  boast,  indeed,  of  Caung-shce  to  the  Jesuits, 
when  they  instructed  him  in  some  of  the  sciences  of  Europe, 
that  the  latter  coimtry  was  neither  acquainted  with  the  mai'i- 
ner's  compass,  nor  with  tlie  ail  of  printing,  nor  with  gunpow- 
der, till  they  had  been  in  common  use  in  China  near  t\\o  tliDu- 
sand  years.  As  to  gunpowder,  it  is  pretty  obvious  that  our 
countiyman,  Roger  Bacon,  Mas  ^vdl  acquainted  with  the  in- 
gredients that  enter  into  its  composition.  In  more  than  one  part 
of  his  works  he  observes  that,  ^vith  saltpetre  and  odier  articles 
may  be  made  a  fire,  that  will  inflame  to  a  great  distance  ;  and 
in  one  place  he  stites  that  with  sulphur,  saltpetre,  and  some- 
thing else  ^^'hich  he  disguises  under  t^\■o  or  three  barbarous 
words,  a  composition  may  be  made,  by  \\  hich  the  effects  of 
thunder  and  of  lifj-htnino;  mav  be  imitated.  Bacon  died  in  the 
yeai'  1292,  and  Marco  Polo  returned  to  Europe  in  1295  ;  so 
that  he  could  not  possibly  ha\e  received  any  hint  to  lead  to- 
^\''ards  the  discovery  thi-ough  the  chanjiel  of  tlie  Venetian  tia- 
veller.* 

If  the  Chinese  had,  at  any  period  of  their  histoiy,  been  ac- 
quainted with  tlie  ait  of  casting  lai'ge  cannon,  and  of  making 

*  The  invention,  in  Europe,  is  usually  attributed  to  one  Schwartz,  a  German 
monk,  about  the  year  1354,  which,  however,  is  very  doubtful,  as  there  is  every 
reason  to  beUve  that  cannon  was  made  use  of  at  the  battle  of  Cressy,  wliich  hap- 
pened in  the  year  1346.  And  Mariana,  in  his  account  of  the  sicpfe  of  Al.a^eziras 
by  the  Spaniards,  in  the  year  1342,  or  1343,  as  quoted  by  bishop  Watson,  observes 
"that  the  Moors  very  mxich  annoyed  the  Christians  with  their  iron  shot;'* 
and  he  further  adds,  that  "  this  is  the  first  mention  made  in  history  of  the  usq  of  gim- 
"  powder  and  ball."  It  is,  therefore,  extreni^y  probable  that  Uie  first  introduc'- 
tion  of  gunpowder  into  Europe  was  by  some  >lahomedans  from  the  eastward,  and 
that  Schwartz  was  not  the  inveptor,  aiUiough  he  misjht  perhaps  have  been  the  fii'st 
publishergf  the  discovery. 

C  C 


202  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

use  of  them  in  their  ^^•ars,  it  is  scai'cely  probable  they  would 
ever  ha\'e  lost  it.  Yet,  it  is  very  certain,  the  two  Jesuits,  Schaal 
t»nd  Verbiest,  took  great  pains  to  instruct  thetn  in  the  method 
of  casting  cannon  ;  in  which,  however,  they  have  not  made  any 
progiess  or  improvement.  I  observed,  near  one  of  the  gates 
of  Pekin,  a  few  rude,  ill-shapen,  and  disproportionate  pieces, 
lying  unmounted  on  the  ground ;  and  these,  with  some  of  the 
same  kiiid  on  the  frontier  of  Canton,  and  a  few  pieces,  appa- 
rently twelve  pounders,  at  Hang-tcheu-foo,  which  had  \\^ooden 
pent-houses  erected  over  each,  \\'ere  the  only  cannon  that  we 
noticed  in  the  whole  countiy. 

Mr.  Bell,  who  visited  China  in  the  suite  of  the  Russian  em- 
bassador, neai'ly  a  century  ago,  remarks  that,  "  towards  the 
"  western  extremity  of  the  great  wall,  he  obsen^ed  some 
"  hundreds  of  old  camion  piled  up  in  one  of  the  towers,  each 
"  composed  of  three  or  four  pieces  of  hammered  iron,  joined 
"  and  flistened  together  with  hoops  of  the  same  metal."  It  is 
probable,  indeed,  that  the  Chinese,  like  the  Hindoos,  before  the 
time  of  Shaal  and  Verbiest,  made  use  of  cannon  of  A\Tought 
iron.,  which  were  hooped  together  like  those  mentioned  by 
Mr.  Bell. 

In  m.aking  their  salutes,  of  which  they  are  not  sparing,  they 
invariabl}-  employ  three  small  petards,  or  pistol-barrels  rather, 
which  are  stuck  erect  in  the  ground ;  and  in  firmg  these  small 
pieces  the  soldiers  aie  so  afraid,  that  tkey  ai'c  discharged  by 
a  train  laid  from  one  to  the  other.  When  captain  Parish 
caused  a  few  rounds  to  be  fired  from  two  field-pieces,  which 
were  among  the  presents  for  the  emperor,  in  as  quick  succes- 
sion as  possible,  the  Chinese  officers  \'eiy  coolly  observed, 
that  their  own  soldiers  could  do  it  just  as  A\ell,  and  perhaps 
better.  And  when  lord  Macaitney  asked  the  ex-viceroy  of 
Canton  if  he  would  wish  to  see  his  guard  go  through  the  diffe- 
rent e\'^olutions,  as  practised  in  Europe,  he  replied,  with  equal 
indifference,  that  **  they  could  not  possibly  be  new  to  him,  who 
"  had  been  so  much  engaged  in  the  \vars  on  the  frontiers  of 
"  Tartar}' ;"  though  the  chances  are  that  he  had  never  before 
seen  a  firelock :  with  such  ridiculous  affectation  of  superiority 
and  contempt  for  other  nations  does  the  unconquerable  pride 
of  diis  people  inspire  them.  It  seems,  indeed,  to  be  laid  down, 
as  a  general  principle,  never  to  be  caught  in  the  admiration  of 
any  tiling  brought  among  them  by  foreigners.  Whenever  a 
man  of  rank  came  to  look  at  the  presents,  if  observed  by  any 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  203 

of  us,  he  would  carelessly  glance  his  eye  over  them,  and  affect 
as  much  indifference  as  if  he  were  in  tlie  daily  habit  of  vieA\- 
ing  things  of  the  same  kind. 

A  French  physician,  \\'ho  travelled  in  China,  sa^'s,  he  never 
saw  an  alembic  or  distillator}'  apparatus  in  the  ^\'hole  coimtrv.- 
The  art  of  distillation,  ho^\e\'cr,  is  very  mcU  knoAvii,  and  in 
common  practice.  Their  sau-tchoo  (literally  burnt  wine)  is 
an  ardent  spirit  distilled  from"  \  arious  kinds  of  grain,  but  nio.:t 
commonly  from  rice,  of  a  strong  cmpyrcumatic  flavour,  not 
unlike  the  spirit  known  in  Scotland  by  the  name  of  whiskey. 
The  rice  is  kept  in  hot  water  till  the  grains  are  swollen ;  it  is 
then  mixed  up  with  water  in  Avhich  has  been  dissoh  ed  a  jjre- 
paration  called  pe-ka,  consisting  of  rice-flower,  liquorice-root, 
anniseed,  and  garlic ;  this  not  only  hastens  fermentation,  but 
is  supposed  to  give  it  a  peculiar  flavour.  The  mixture  then 
undergoes  distillation.  The  sau-tchoo,  thus  prepared,  may  be 
considered  as  the  basis  of  the  best  airack,  which  in  Java  is 
exclusively  the  manufactiu'C  of  the  Chinese,  and  is  nothing  more 
than  a  rectification  of  the  above  spirit,  m  ith  the  addition  of 
molasses  and  juice  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree.  Before  distillation, 
the  liquor  is  simply  called  tchoo,  or  wine,  and  in  this  state  is 
a  very  insipid  and  disagreeable  beverage.  The  vine  groAA  s  ex- 
tremely ^^•ell  in  all  the  provinces,  e^^en  as  far  north  as  Pekin  ; 
but  the  culture  of  it  seems  to  meet  with  little  encouragement ; 
and  no  wine  is  made  from  the  juice  of  the  grape,  except  by  the 
missionaries  near  the  capital. 

The  manufacture  of  earthen  ware,  as  far  as  depends  upon 
the  preparation  of  the  materials,  they  have  canied  to  a  pitch 
of  perfe<:tion  not  hidierto  equalled  by  any  nation,  except  the 
Japanese,  who  are  allowed  to  excel  them,  not  only  in  this 
branch,  but  also  in  all  articles  of  lacquered  and  varnished  ^vare, 
which  fetch  exorbitant  prices  even  in  China.  The  bcaiUy  of 
their  porcelain  depends,  iy\  a  great  degree,  upon  the  ejitremc 
labour  and  attention  that  is  paid  to  the  assortment  and  the 
preparation  of  the  different  articles  emplo}'cd.  These  are,  in 
general,  a  fine  sort  of  cla}',  called  kao-lin,  Avhich  is  a  species 
of  soap-rock,  and  a  granite  called  pe-tun-tse,  composed  chieft;,' 
of  quartz,  the  proportion  of  mica  being  very  small.  These 
materials  are  ground  do\Mi  and  washed  with  the  greatest  care ; 
and  when  the  paste  has  been  turned  or  moulded  into  forms, 
each  piece  is  put  into  a  box  of  clay  before  it  goes  into  the 
oven  ;  yet,  with  eveiy  precaution,  it  frequently  happens  (so 


204  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

niuch  is  tliis  art  still  a  work  of  chance )  that  a  whole  oven 
runs  together,  and  becomes  a  niass  of  vitiified  matter.  Neitlier 
the  Chinese  nor  the  Japanese  can  boast  of  giving  to  the  ma- 
terials much  elegance  of  form.  With  those  inimitable  models 
irom  the  Greek  and  Roman  \'ases,  brought  into  modem  use  by 
the  ingenious  Mr.  \Vedg^\ood,  they  ^\'ili  not  bear  a  compari- 
son :  and  nothing  can  be  more  rude  and  ill-designed  than 
the  grotesque  figures,  and  other  objects,  painted,  or  rather 
daubed,  on  their  porcelain,  which,  however,  are  generally  tlie 
^vork  of  the  wives  and  childr<fti  of  the  labouring  poor.  That 
they  can  do  better,  we  have  ca  ident  proof;  for  if  a  pattern  be 
sent  out  fi'om  England,  the  aitists  in  Canton  will  execute  it 
w  ith  scRipulous  exactness  ;  and  their  colours  are  inimitable. 

The  manufacture  of  glass  was  totally  unknot  n  among  them 
until  the  last  centuiy ,  when,  at  the  recommendation  of  the  Je- 
suits, a  family  v\as  engaged  to  go  from  Fi-ance  to  Pekin,  for 
the  purpose  of  inti-cducing  the  axt  of  glass- making  into  the 
Country.  The  attempt  failed  of  success,  and  the  concern,  at 
the  death  of  the  manager,  was  broken  up.  In  Canton  they 
melt  old  broken  glass,  and  mould  it  into  new  forms ;  and  they 
have  been  taught  to  coat  plates  of  glass  with  silver,  m  hich  are 
partially  used  as  looking-glasses ;  but  theii-  common  mirrors 
are  of  polished  metal,  which  is  apparently  a  composition  of 
copper  and  zinc. 

The  pride  or  the  policy  of  the  go\'emment,  affecting  to  des- 
,pise  any  thing  new  or  foreign,  and  the  genenil  ^vant  of  encou- 
ragement to  new  indentions,  however  ingenious,  have  been 
greatly  detrimental  to  the  progress  of  the  cirts  and  manufactures. 
The  people  discover  no  want  of  genius  to  conceive,  nor  of  dex- 
terity to  execute ;  and  their  imitative  powers  have  always  been 
acknowledged  to  be  veiy  great.  Of  the  truth  of  this  remark 
we  had  several  instances  at  Yuen-min-}uen.  The  complicated 
glass  lustres,  consistmg  of  several  hundi'ed  pieces,  were  taken 
do^vn,  piece  by  piece,  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour,  by  two 
Chinese,  wiio  had  never  seen  any  tiling  of  the  kind  before,  and 
were  put  up  again  by  them  with  equal  facility ;  yet  Mr.  Parker 
tliought  it  necessar}^  for  our  mechanics  to  attend  at  his  ware- 
house several  times,  to  see  them  taken  down,  and  again  put  to- 
gether, in  order  to  be  able  to  manage  the  business  on  their  ar- 
rival in  China.  A  Chinese  undertook  to  cut  a  slip  of  glass 
from  a  large  curved  piece,  intended  to  cover  the  great  dome 
of  the  planetarium,  after  our  two  artificers  had  broken  thijee 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  205 

similar  pieces  in  attempting  to  cut  them  with  the  help  of  the 
diamond.  The  man  performed  it  in  private ;  nor  could  he  be 
prevailed  on  to  say  in  \vhLit  manner  he  accomplislied  it.  Beine^ 
a  little  jagged  along  the  mai'gin,  I  suspect  it  ^vas  not  cut,  but 
fractured,  perhaps  by  passing  -a  heated  iron  o^■cr  a  line  cb^\\ii 
with  water,  or  some  other  fluid.  It  is  well  knoAvn  that  a  Chi- 
nese in  Canton,  on  being  shown  an  European  A\'atch,  under- 
took, and  succeeded,  to  make  one  like  it,  though  he  had  never 
seen  any  thing  of  the  kind  before  ;  but  it  was  necessary  to  fur- 
nish him  with  a  main  spring,  which  he  could  not  make :  and 
they  now  fabricate  in  Canton,  as  ^vell  as  in  London,  and  at  one 
third  of  the  expense,  all  those  ingenious  pieces  of  mechanism 
which  at  one  time  were  sent  to  China  in  such  vast  quimtities 
from  the  repositories  of  Coxe  and  Merlin.  The  mind  of  a 
Chinese  is  quick  and  appi-ehensivc,  and  his  smdl  delicate  hands 
are  formed  for  the  execution  of  neat  work. 

The  manufacture  of  silks  has  been  established  in  China  at  a 
period  so  remote  as  not  to  be  ascertained  from  history ;  but  the 
time  when  the  cotton  plant  was  first  brought  from  the  northern 
parts  of  India  into  the  southern  provinces  of  China  is  know  n, 
and  noticed  in  their  annals.  That  species  of  the  cotton  plant, 
from  Avhich  is  produced  the  manufacture  usually  called  nankin 
cotton,  is  said  to  lose  its  peculiar  jellow  tint  in  the  course  of 
two  or  three  years,  ^vhen  cultivated  in  the  southern  provinces ; 
owing,  in  all  probability,  to  the  great  heat  of  the  weather  and 
continued  sunshine.  I  ha^•e  raised  this  particular  species  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where,  upon  the  same  plant,  as  ^\•ell  as 
on  others  produced  from  its  seed,  the  pods  Avere  as  full  and 
the  tint  of  as  deep  a  yellow  in  the  third  year  as  in  the  first.  As 
is  genei-ally  the  case  in  most  of  their  manufactures,  those  of 
silk  and  cotton  do  not  appear  to  have  lately  undergone  pro- 
gressiA'C  improvement,  The  want  of  proper  encouragement 
from  the  government,  and  the  rigid  adherence  to  ancient  usage, 
have  rendered,  indeed,  all  their  labricks  stationaiy. 

Of  all  the  mechanical  arts,  that  in  which  they  seem  to  have 
attained  the  highest  degree  of  perfection  is  the  cutting  of  i\ory. 
In  tliis  branch  they  stand  unrivalled,  even  at  Birmingham,  that 
great  nursery  of  the  arts  and  manufactures,  Avhere,  I  under- 
stand, it  has  been  attempted,  by  means  of  a  machine,  to  cut 
ivory  fans  and  other  articles,  in  imitation  of  those  of  the  Chi- 
nese ;  but  the  experiment,  although  ingenious,  has  not  hitherto^ 
succeeded  to  that  degree,  so  as  to  produce  articles  fit  to  A-ic 


206  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

with  those  of  the  latter.  Nothing  can  be  more  exquisitely 
beautiful  thim  the  fine  open  work  displayed  in  a  Chinese  fan, 
the  sticks  of  ^^  hich  would  seem  to  be  singly  cut  by  the  hand, 
for  ^vliatever  pattern  may  be  required,  or  a  shield  witli  coat 
of  arms,  or  a  cypher,  the  article  will  be  finished  according  to 
the  draw  ing,  at  the  shortest  notice.  The  t\\"0  outside  sticks  are 
full  of  bold  shaq)  A\ork,  undercut  in  such  a  manner  as  could 
not  be  performed  any  other  way  than  by  the  hand.  Yet,  tlie 
most  finished  and  beautiful  of  these  fans  may  be  purcliased  at 
Canton  for  five  to  ten  Spanish  dollars.*  Out  of  a  sohd  ball 
of  ivor}',  \\  ith  a  hole  in  it  not  larger  than  half  an  inch  in  diame- 
ter, thc}^  w  ill  cut  from  nine  to  fifteen  distinct  hollow  globes, 
one  ^^'ithin  another,  all  loose,  and  capable  of  being  turned  round 
in  e^ery  direction,  and  each  of  them  carved  full  of  the  same 
kind  of  open  \vork  th^t  appears  on  the  fans.  A  very  small  sum 
of  money  is  the  price  of  oi^e  of  these  difficult  trifles.  Models 
ef  temples,  pagodas,  and  other  pieces  of  architecture,  are  beau- 
tifully worked  in  ivory;  and  from^  the  shavings,  interwoven 
with  pieces  of  quills,  they  make  neat  baskets  and  hats,  which 
are  as  light  and  pliant  as  those  of  stravv' .  In  short,  all  kinds 
of  toys  for  cliildren,  and  other  trinkets  and  trifles,  are  executed 
in  a  neater  manner  and  for  less  money  in  China  dian  in  any 
other  part  of  the  world. 

The  various  uses,  to  which  that  elegant  species  of  reed, 
called  the  bamboo,  is  applied,  would  require  a  volume  to  enu- 
merate. Their  chairs,  their  tables,  their  skreens,  their  bed- 
steads and  bedding,  and  many  other  household  moveables,  are 
entirely  constnicted  of  this  hollow  reed,  and  some  of  them  in 
a  manner  sufficiently  ingenious  and  beautiful.  It  is  used  on 
board  ships  for  poles,  for  sails,  for  cables,  for  rigging,  and  for 
caulking.  In  husbandly  for  cai'ts,  for  ^vheelbairows,  for  'wheels 
to  raise  water,  for  fences,  for  sacking  to  hold  grain,  and  a  va- 
rict}'  of  other  utensils.  The  young  shoots  furnish  an  aiticle  of 
food ;  and  the  ^^"icks  of  their  candles  are  made  of  its  fibres.  It 
serves  to  embellish  the  gai'den  of  the  prince,  and  to  cover  the 
cottage  of  the  peasant.  It  is  the  instrument,  in  the  hand  of 
poiver,  tliat  keeps  the  whole  empire  in  awe.     In  short,  there 


*  I  am  auare  that  those  laboured  pieces,  of  Italian  make,  of  ivory  cut  into 
landscapes,  with  houses,  trees,  and  figures  ;  sometimes  so  small  as  to  becompre- 
hencicd  within  the  compass  af  a  ring,  ma)'  be  quoted  against  me,  but  the  work  of 
a  s..iitary  and  r.ecluded  monk,  to  beguile  the  weary  hours,  is  not  to  be  brought  in 
coiiipetition  withihat  of  a  common  Chinese  artist,  by  which  he  earns  his  livelihood. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  207 

are  few  uses  to  which  a  Chinese  camiot  apply  the  bamboo, 
either  entire  or  split  into  tliin  laths,  or  fufthcr  di\'idccl  into 
fibres  to  be  twisted  into  cordage,  or  macerated  into  a  pulp  to 
be  manufactured  into  paper. 

That  "  there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun,"  was  the  ob- 
servation of  a  wise  man  in  days  of  }'ore.  Impressed  w  ith  tlio 
same  idea,  an  ingenious  and  learned  modem  author  *  has  w  rit- 
ten  a  book  to  prove  that  all  tlie  late  discoveries  and  in\  entions 
of  Europe  were  known  to  the  ancients.  The  discovery  of 
making  paper  fi-om  sti-aw,  althougli  new,  perliaps,  in  Europe, 
is  of  very  ancient  date  in  China.  The  straw  of  rice  and  otlicr 
grain,  the  bark  of  the  nuilberry-tree,  the  cotton  shrub,  hemp, 
nettles,  and  various  other  plants  and  materials,  aie  emploxed 
in  the  pa]3er  niLmufactorics  of  China,  where  sheets  are  prepared 
of  such  dimensions  that  a  single  one  ma}^  be  had  to  coxer  the 
whole  side  of  a  moderate-sized  room.  The  finer  sort  of  paper, 
for  uriting  upon,  has  a  surface  as  smooth  as  vellum,  and  i* 
washed  with  a  strong  solution  of  alum,  to  pre\'ent  the  ink  from 
sinking.  Many  old  persons  and  children  earn  a  livelihood  by 
washing  tlie  ink  from  written  paper,  which,  being  afterwards 
beaten  and  boiled  to  a  paste,  is  re-manufactured  into  new 
sheets ;  and  the  ink  is  also  separated  from  the  water,  and  pre- 
serv^ed  for  future  use.  To  this  article  of  their  manufacture  the 
arts  in  our  own  country  owe  so  many  advantages,  that  little  re- 
quires to  be  said  in  its  favour.  The  Chinese,  however,  ac- 
knowledge their  obligations  to  the  Coreans  for  the  impro\'e- 
ments  in  making  ink,  which,  not  many  centuries  ago,  were 
received  from  them. 

As  to  the  art  of  printing,  there  can  be  litdc  doubt  of  its  an- 
tiquity in  China ;  yet,  they  ha\'e  never  proceeded  beyond  a 
wooden  block.  The  nature,  indeed,  of  the*  character  is  such, 
that  moveable  types  would  scarcely  be  practicable.  It  is  tnie, 
the  component  parts  of  the  characters  are  sufficiently  simple, 
and  few  in  number ;  but  the  difficulty  of  putting  them  toge- 
ther  upon  the  frame,  into  tlie  multitude  of  forms  of  which  they 
are  capable,  is,  perhaps,  not  to  be  surmounted. 

Like  the  rest  of  their  inventions,  the  chain  pump,  which,  in 
Europe,  has  been  brought  to  such  perfection  as  to  constitute 
an  essential  part  of  ships  of  war  and  other  large  vessels,  con- 
tinues among  the  Cliinese  nearly  in  its  priniitive  state  ;  die 

•  Mr.  Duteni. 


208  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

principal  improvement,  since  its  first  invention,  consisting  in 
the  substitution  oT  boards,  or  basket  work,  for  wisps  of  straw. 
Its  power  ^^-ith  them  has  ne\'er  been  extended  beyond  tliat  of 
raising  a  small  stream  of  water  up  an  inclined  plane,  from 
one  reservoir  to  another,  to  serve  the  pui*poses  of  irrigation. 
They  are  of  different  sizes ;  some  worked  by  oxen,  some 
by  treading  in  a  ^^'heel,  and  others  by  the  hand. 

The  great  advantages  attainable  from  the  use  of  mechanical 
jDOwers  are  either  not  understood  or,  purposely,  not  employed. 
In  a  countiy  of  such  vast  population,  machinery  may,  per- 
Iiaps,  be.  considered  as  detrimental,  especially  as,  at  least, 
nine-tenths  of  the  community  must  derive  their  subsistence 
from  manual  labour.  It  may  be  a  question,  not  at  all  decided 
in  their  minds,  whether  the  general  advantages  of  facilitating 
labour,  and  gaining  time  by  means  of  machinery,  be  sufficient 
to  counterbalance  the  individual  distress  that  would,  for  a 
time,  be  occasioned  by  the  introduction  of  such  ihachinery. 
Whatever  the  reason  may  be,  no  such  means  are  to  be  met 
with  in  the  country.  Among  the  presents  that  were  carried 
out  for  the  emperor  \A'ere  an  apparatus  for  the  aii-  pump,  various 
aiticles  for  conductmg  a  set  of  experiments  in  electricity, 
and  the  models  of  a  complete  set  of  meclianical  powers  placed 
upon  a  brass  pillar.  The  emperor,  happening  to  cast  his  eye 
upon  them,  enquired  of  the  eunuch  in  waiting  for  what  they 
were  intended.  This  mutilated  animal,  although  he  had 
been  daily  studying  the  nature  and  use  of  the  several  presents, 
in  order  to  be  able  to  say  something  upon  them,  when  they 
should  be  exhibited  to  his  master,  could  not  succeed  in  making 
his  imperial  majesty  comprehend  the  intention  of  the  articles 
in  question.  "  I  fancy,"  says  the  old  monarch,  "  they  are 
"  meant  as  play.. things  for  some  of  my  great  grand-cliildren." 

The  power  of  the  pulley  is  understood  by  them,  and  is 
applied  on  board  all  their  large  vessels,  but  always  in  a  single 
state ;  at  least,  I  never  obser\-ed  a  block  ■\\'ith  more  than  one 
wheel  in  it.  The  principle  of  the  lever  should  also  seem  to 
be  \vell  known,  as  all  their  valual^le  wares,  even  silver  and 
gold,  are  Vv'eighed  with  the  steel}'ard  :  and  the  tooth  and 
pinion  ^^  heels  are  used  in  the  construction  of  their  self-moving 
to}'s,  and  in  all  their  rice-mills  that  are  put  in  motion  by  a 
Vvater- -wheel.  But  none  of  the  mechanical  powers  are  applied 
on  the  gt  eat  scale,  to  facilitate  and  to  expedite  labour.  Sim- 
plicity is  the  leading  feature  in  all  their  conti'ivances  that  relate 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  209 

to  the  arts  and  manufactures.  The  tools  of  every  artificer 
are  erf"  a  construction  the  most  simple  that  it  should  seem 
possible  to  make  them  ;  and  yet  each  tool  is  so-contri\ed  as 
to  answer  several  puiposes.  Thus,  the  bellows  of  the  black- 
smith, which  is  nothing  more  than  a  hollow  cylinder  of  wood, 
with  a  valvular  piston,  beside  bloiving  the  fire,  serves  for  his 
seat,  when  set  on  end,  and  as  a  box  to  contain  the  rest  of  his 
tools.  The  biirber's  bamboo  basket,  that  contains  liis  appara- 
tus, is  also  the  seat  for  his  customers.  The  joiner  makes 
use  of  his  rule  as  a  w'alking  stick  ;  and  the  chest  that  holds 
his  tools  serves  him  as  a  bench  to  work  on.  The  pedlar's 
box  and  a  large  umbrella  are  suflicient  for  him  to  exhibit  al 
his  wares,  and  to  form  his  little  shop. 

Little  can  be  said  in  favour  of  the  state  of  the  fine  arts  in 
this  countiy.  Of  their  poetry,  modem  and  ancient,  I  have 
given  Pi  specimen  ;  but  I  think  it  right  once  more  to  obser^'e 
that,  with  regard  to  Asiatic  compositions,  Europeans  camiot 
form  a  proper  judgment,  and  more  especialh'  of  those  of  die 
Chinese,  which,  to  the  mysterious  and  obscure  expressions 
of  metaphor,  add  the  disadvantage  of  a  language  that  speaks 
but  little  to  the  ear  ;  a  whole  sentence,  or  a  combination  of 
ideas,  being  sometimes  shut  up  in  a  short  monos}llable, 
whose  beauties  iire  most  studiously  addressed  to  the  sense  of 
seeing  alone. 

Of  the  other  two  sister  arts,  painting  and  nmsic,  a  more 
decided  opinion  may  be  passed.  Of  the  latter,  I  ha\  e  little 
to  observe.  It  does  not  seem  to  be  cultivated  as  a  science : 
it  is  neither  learned  as  an  elegant  accomplishment,  nor  prac- 
tised as  an  amusement  of  genteel  life,  except  by  those  fe- 
males who  are  educated  for  sale,  or  by  such  as  hire  themsehes 
out  for  the  entertainment  of  those  who  may  be  inclined  to 
purchase  their  favours.  And,  as  the  Chinese  difibr  in  their 
ideas  from  all  other  nations,  these  women  pla}-  generally  upon 
wind  instruments,  such  as  small  pipes  and  flutes  ;  whilst  the 
favourite  instrument  of  the  men  is  the  guittar,  or  something 
not  every  unlike  it,  some  of  which  haAC  two  strings,  some 
four,  and  others  seven.  Eunuchs,  and  the  lowest  class  of 
persons,  are  hired  to  play  ;  and  the  merit  of  a  performance 
should  seem  to  consist  in  the  intenseness  of  tlie  noise  brought 
out  of  die  different  instruments.  The  gong,  or,  as  they  call 
it,  the  loo,  is  admirably  adapted  for  this  puq^ose.  This  in- 
.«iti-umcnt  is  a  sort  of  shallow  kettle,  or  ratiicr  tl)c  lid  of  a 

D  d 


310  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

kettlcj  which  they  strike  \\;ith  a  wooden  mallet  covered  with 
leather.     The  composition  is  said  to  be  copper,  tin,  and  bis- 
muth.    They  have  also  a  kind  of  clarionet,  three  or  four 
different  sorts  of  ti-umpets,  and  a  stringed  instrument,  not 
unlike  a  violoncello.     Their  sing  is  a  combination  of  uneven 
reeds  of  bamboo,  not  unlike  the  pipe  of  Pan ;  the  tones  are 
far  from  being  clisagieeable,  but  its  construction  is  so  wild 
and  inegular,  that  it  does  not  appear  to  be  reducible  to  any 
kind  of  scale.     Their  kettle-dmms  are  generally  sliaped  like 
barrels  ;  and  these,  as  well  as  different  sized  bells  fixed  in  a 
frame,  constitute  parts  in  their  sacred  music.     They  have 
also  an  insti'ument  of  music,  \vhich  consists  of  stones,  cut 
into  the  shape  of  a  carpenter's  square,  each  stone  suspended 
by  the  corner  in  a  wooden  frame .     Those  which  I  saw  ap- 
peared to  belong  to  that  species  of  the  silicious  genus  usually 
called  gneiss,  a  sort  of  slaty  granite.  In  the  Keswick  museum 
are  musical  stones  of  the  same  kind,  which  were  picked  up 
in  a  rivulet  at  the  foot  of  Skiddaw  mountain ;  but  these  seem 
to  contain  small  pieces  of  black  shorl  or  tourmaline.     It  is, 
indeed,  the  boast  of  their  historians,  that  the  whole  ejupire 
of  nature  has  been  laid  under  contribution,  in  order  to  com- 
plete their  system  of  music :  that  the  skins  of  animals,  the 
fibres  of  plants,  metals,  stones,  and  baked  earths,  have  all 
been  employed   in  the  production  of    sounds.     Their  in- 
struments, it  is  true,  are  sufficiently  varied,  both  as  to  shape 
and  materials  ;  but  I  know  of  none  that  is  even  tolerable  to 
an  European  ear. 

A  Chinese  band  generally  plays,  or  endeavours  to  play,  in 
unison  ;  and  sometimes  an  instrument  takes  the  octa^^e  ;  but 
they  never  attempt  to  play  in  separate  parts,  confining  their 
ait  to  the  melody  only,  if  I  may  venture  to  apply  a  name  of  so 
much  sweetness  to  an  aggregation  of  harsh  sounds.  They 
have  not  the  least  notion  of  counter- p<:)int,  or  playing  in  parts; 
an  invention,  indeed,  to  which  the  elegant  Greeks  had  not 
an'ived,  and  which  was  unknown  in  Europe,  as  well  as  Asia, 
until  the  monkish  ages. 

I  never  heard  but  one  single  Chinese  who  could  be  said  to 
sing  with  feeling  or  plaintiveness.  Accompanied  with  a  kind 
of  guittar,  he  sang  the  follo\^•ing  air  in  praise  of  the  flower 
Moo-lee,  which  it  seems  is  one  of  the  most  popular  songs  in 
the  \\-hole  coimtry.  The  simple  melody  was  taken  down  by 
Mr.  Hittner,  and  I  understand  has  been  published  in  London, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


211 


with  head  and  tail-pieces,  accompaniments,  and  all  the  re- 
fined arts  of  European  music  ;  so  that  it  ceases  to  be  a  speci- 
men of  the  plain  melody  of  China.  I  have,  therefore,  given 
it  in  its  unadorned  state,  as  sung  and  played  by  the  Chinese, 
together  with  the  A\ords  of  the  first  stanza,  and  their  literal 
translation. 

MOO-LEE-WHA. 


■q-^ 

B 


#—# 


¥=^^ 


fefefesEl^^ 


-*- 


^fesi^ipE^ 


MOO-LE-WHA. 


I. 


12     3      4  5 

Hau  ye-to  sien  wlia, 

6  7  8        9      10     11       12      13 

Yeu  tchau  yeu  jie  lo  tsai  go  kiu 

14      15         16         17         18  19 

Go  pun  tai,  poo  tchoo  mmi 

20  21         22        23      24    25 

Twee  tcho  sien  wha  ul  lo. 


II. 


12      3        4        5        6 

Hau  ye  to  Moo-lee  wha 

7  8  9        10      11        12        13      14 

Man  yuen  wha  kai  soy  poo  quee  ta 

15       16        17      18     19    20 

Go  pun  tai  tsai  ye  ta 

21        22        23  24        25      26      27 

Tai  you  kung  ^aii  wha  jin  ma. 


212 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


LITEKAL    TRANSLATION. 

I. 

12  3  4  5 

How  delightRil  this  branch  of  fresh  flowers 

6  7  8        9  10  11    12        1»  ' 

One  morning  one  day  it  wzs  dropped  in  my  house 

14  15  16  17      18  19 

1  the  owner  will  A\"ear  it  not  out  of  doors 

20  21  22  23      24  25 

But  I  \\\\\  hold  the  fresh  flov\-er  and  be  happ}'. 
II. 

i  1  2        3  4      5        6 

l\o\\-  delightful  tliis  branch  of  the  Moo-lee  flower 

7  8  9  10  11        12        13         U 

In  the  full  plot  of  flowers  blowing  freely  none  excels  it 

15  16  17        18  19  20 

I  the  owner  will  wear  this  gathered  branch 

21  22    22  24  25  26         ^        27 

Wear  it  yet  fear,  the  flower  seen    pien  will  envy. 

I  have  thought  it  not  amiss  to  subjoin  a  few  other  airs  of 
the  popular  kind,  which  were  written  by  a  gentleman  at 
Canton. 


CHINESE  POPULAR  AIRS. 

No.  I. 


^i^^ffiiSi^fei 


-^ 


L __r    '  r         •        J.        ft     — _Zn -mr U  .       [T.  I 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


213 


rir  LP —  ■  J^ 


$ 


£ 


?m 


tH 


*- 


No.  11. 


^it^k^BillE^^E^^ 


-FT* T- 


-±1^ 


ti.. 


^ 


gjIPiglgilEigi 


-«f- 


EEpEpEEtSE?EESpEMEE| 


t:=|^ 


frpzErfd— e=J: 


No.  III. 


tztt 


s 


pipE^iEE^E^Ei^EKit 

iHsiSiii 


Q 


_U L. 


r!^f:rtE±ezi:p 


4 


pp: 


214. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


l^^^^^^^^ 


-r^r^— 


'^-^ 


> — d 


i 


No.  IV. 


I^isfe^^iiii 


»= 


f-p- 


m 


^tct== 


SS^S 


,  — — .. — 1_  ^-igr»-  ^ — ■ — — — — — — — .^— Jinnni. —  ■      — »■  -  ■        i  » 


No.  V. 


-^ 


SEz 


E3E?^£--sriB 


-[-- 


-*- 


fiEEK^ 


|SpigiaggEi| 


P--^- 


-f^  ^-f^ 


piPffiig 


-*- 


m 


gSJES 


No.  VI. 


m^i^^ii^ 


sifie^Silsi 


i 


#^-#^ 


•-^ 


iEpEgEgt^gES^jEf^K 


'7=«~~*Z¥t 


P-^gE^pzipi; 


I 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

No.  VII. 


215 


^fEgE£[ 


iS 


sai 


No.  VIII. 


SiF"^ 


EFfE|!SEPEtP 


liiSlil 


:si 


^gnipfESEififE^i 


No.  IX. 


^-^- 


^^s^ 


W^: 


»0^ftp 


VUU 


ft„/S 


-rr*-iT 


sms. 


^ ,». 


-1— 


\^ 


'--£=-=1^ 


-5^-- 


^-^.^ 


P^-r 


^-u — 


— L.! — ^-;- 
-w- 


-F-f-i 


— g^^  —f-f--  Ft -rp-  P-p~ — ^#i"^r — ^^iTi 


216  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

They  have  no  other  notion  of  noting  down  music  than  that 
of  employing  a  character  expressing  the  name  of  every  note 
in  the  scale ;  and^even  this  imperfect  ■way  they  learned  from 
Pereira  the  Jesuit.  They  affected  to  dislike  the  embassador's 
band,  \vhich  they  pretended  to  say  produced  no  music,  but  a 
confusion  of  noises ;  yet  the  emperor's  chief  musician  gave 
himself  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  tracing  out  the  several  in- 
struments on  large  sheets  of  paper,  each  of  its  particular  size, 
marking  the  places  of  the  holes,  screws,  strings,  and  other 
parts,  which  they  conceived  necessary  to  enable  them  to  make 
others  of  a  similar  construction. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  assign  the  motive  that  induced  fa- 
ther Amiot  to  observe,  that  "  the  Chinese,  in  order  to  obtain 
*'  their  scale  of  notes  or  gamut  perfect,  were  not  afraid  of 
"  submitting  to  the  most  laborious  operations  in  geometry, 
*'  and  to  the  most  tedious  and  disgusting  calculations  of  the 
"  science  of  numbers;"  as  he  must  have  known  that  they  were 
aitogether  ignorant  of  geometry,  and  that  their  arithmetic  ex- 
tended not  beyond  their  swan-pan.  Of  the  same  nature  is 
the  bold  and  unfounded  assertion  of  another  of  the  Jesuits, 
*'  that  the  musical  system  of  the  Chinese  was  borrowed  from 
*'  them  by  the  Greeks  and  Egj^ptians,  anterior  to  the  time  of 
"  Hermes  or  Orpheus !" 

With  regard  to  painting,  they  can  be  considered  in  no 
other  light  than  as  miserable  daubers,  being  unable  to  pen- 
cil out  a  correct  outline  of  many  objects,  to  give  body  to 
the  same  by  the  application  of  proper  lights  and  shadows,  and 
to  lay  on  the  nice  shades  of  colour,  so  as  to  resemble  the  tints 
of  nature.  But  the  gaudy  colouring  of  certain  flowers,  birds, 
and  insects,  they  imitate  with  a  degree  of  exactness  and  bril- 
liancy to  ^^'hich  Europeans  have  not  yet  arrived.  To  give 
distance  to  objects  on  canvas,  by  diminishing  them,  by  faint 
colouring,  and  by  perspective,  they  have  no  sort  of  concep- 
tion. At  Yuen-min-yuen  I  found  two  very  large  paintings  of 
landscapes  \\  hich,  as  to  the  pencilling,  were  done  with  toler- 
able execution  ;  but  they  were  finished  witli  a  minuteness  of 
detail,  and  without  any  of  those  strong  lights  and  masses  of 
shade  ^vhich  gi\'e  Ibi'ce  and  effect  to  a  picture  :  none  of  the 
rules  of  perspective  \vere  observed,  nor  imy  attempt  to  throw 
the  objects  to  their  proper  disUmces ;  }et  I  could  not  help  fancy- 
ing that  I  discovered  in  theni  the  hand  of  an  European.  The 
old  eunuch,  who  carried  the  kex^s  of  the  room,  frequently 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  2ir 

asked  me,  when  looking  at  these  pictures,  if  I  did  not  think 
his  countr}^men  were  excellent  painters  :  and  ha\  ing  one  day- 
expressed  great  admiration  for  tlie  talents  of  the  artist,  he  led 
me  into  a  recess  of  the  room,  and,  opening  a  chest,  supported 
upon  a  pedestal,  he  observed,  with  a  significant  look,  he  was 
now  going  to  produce  something  that  ^^■ould  astonish  me.  He 
then  took  out  several  large  volumes,  which  were  full  of  figures, 
drawn  in  a  very  superior  style,  and  tinted  with  water  colours, 
representing  the  several  ti'ades  and  occupations  carried  on  in  tlie 
countrj-  ;  but  they  seemed  to  be  stuck  against  the  paper,  hav- 
ing neither  shadow  nor  foreground,  nor  distance,  to  give  thera 
any  relief.  On  the  opposite  page  to  each  figui-e  was  a  descrip- 
tion, in  the  Mant-choo  Taitai"  and  the  Chinese  languages.  Hav- 
ing turned  over  one  of  the  volumes,  I  obser\ed,  on  the  last  page, 
the  name  of  Castaglione,  which  at  once  solved  the  riddle.  On 
re-examining  the  large  pictures  in  the  hall,  I  found  the  same 
name  in  the  corner  of  each.  While  going  through  the  volume, 
the  old  eunuch  frequently  asked,  if  any  one  in  Europe  could 
paint  like  the  Chinese  ?  but,  on  my  pointing  to  the  name,  and 
repeating  tlie  ^vord  Castaglione,  he  immediately  shut  the  book, 
and  returned  them  all  into  tlie  chest,  nor,  from  that  time,  could 
I  ever  prevail  upon  him  to  let  me  have  another  sight  of  them. 
On  enquir}',  I  found  that  Castaglione  \\'as  a  missionary  in  great 
repute  at  court,  where  he  executed  a  immber  of  paintings,  but 
was  expressly  directed  by  the  emperor  to  paint  all  his  subjects 
after  the  Chinese  manner,  and  not  like  those  of  Europe,  with 
broad  masses  of  shade,  and  the  distant  objects  scarcely  \isible ; 
observing  to  him,  as  one  of  the  missionaries  told  me,  that  the 
imperfections  of  the  eye  afforded  no  reason  why  the  objects  of 
nature  should  also  be  copied  as  imperfect.  This  idea  of  the 
emperor  accords  witli  a  remark  made  b}'  one  of  his  ministers, 
who  came  to  see  the  portrait  of  his  Britannic  majest}-,  that 
"  it  was  gi  eat  pity  it  should  have  been  spoiled  by  the  dirt  upon 
"  the  face,"  pointing,  at  the  same  time,  to  tlie  broad  shade  of 
the  nose. 

Ghirrai'dini,  an  European  painter,  published  an  account  of 
his  voyage  to  China  ;  where,  it  appears,  he  was  so  disgusted, 
that,  having  observed  how  litde  idea  they  possess  of  the  fine 
arts,  he  adds,  with  rather  more  petulancy  than  truth,  "  these 
"  Chinese  are  fit  for  nothing  but  v.eighing  silver  luid  eating 
"  rice."  Ghirrardini  painted  a  large  colonnade  in  A^anishing 
perspective,  ^\hich  struck  them  so  ver\'  forcibly,  diat  they  con- 

E  e 


218  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

eluded  he  must  certainly  have  dealings  with  the  devil ;  but,  on 
approaching  the  canvas,  and  feeling  with  their  hands,  in  order 
to  be  fully  convinced  tliat  iill  they  saw  was  on  a  flat  surface, 
they  persisted  that  nothing  could  be  more  unnatural  tlnan  to  re- 
present distances,  ^vhere  tiiere  actually  neither  was,  nor  could 
be,  any  distance. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  any  thing  further  with  regard 
to  the  state  of  painting  in  China.  I  shall  only  observe,  tliat  the 
emperor's  favourite  di'aughtsman,  who  may,  of  course,  be  sup- 
posed as  good  or  better  tiian  others  of  the  same  profession  in 
the  capital,  was  sent  to  make  drawings  of  some  of  the  principal 
presents  to  carry  to  his  master,  then  in  Tartary,  as  elucidations 
of  the  descriptive  catalogue.  I'his  man,  after  various  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  to  design  the  elegant  time-pieces  of  VuUiamy, 
supported  by  beautiful  figures  ofwhite  marble,  supplicated  my 
assistance  in  a  matter  \A-hich  he  represented  as  of  the  last  impor- 
tance to  himself.  It  was  in  vain  to  assure  him  that  I  was  no 
di'aughtsman  ;  he  was  determined  to  have  the  proof  of  it ;  and 
he  departed  extremely  well  satisfied  in  obtaining  a  very  mean 
performance  ^^  ith  the  pencil,  to  copy  after,  or  cover  with  his 
Cliina  ink.  Every  part  of  the  machines,  except  the  naked 
figures,  which  supported  the  time-piece,  and  a  barometer,  he 
dre^v  with  neatness  and  accuracy,  but  all  his  attempts  to  copy 
these  were  unsuccessful.  Whether  it  was  owing  to  any  real 
difficulty  that  exists  in  the  nice  turns  and  proportions  of  the  hu- 
man figure,  or  that,  by  being  better  acquainted  with  it  we  more 
readily  perceive  the  defects  in  the  imitation  of  it,  or  from  the 
circumstance  of  the  human  form  being  concealed  in  this  coun- 
try in  loose  folding  robes,  that  caused  the  Chinese  draughts- 
man so  completely  to  fail,  I  leave  to  the  artists  of  our  own  coun- 
tr}-  to  determine :  but  the  fact  was  as  I  state  it :  all  his  attempts 
to  di'aw  these  figures  were  preposterous. 

As  to  those  specimens  of  beautiful  floAvers,  birds,  and  insects, 
sometimes  brought  o-v^er  to  Europe,  they  are  the  work  of  ar- 
tists at  Canton,  where,  from  being  in  the  habit  of  copying 
prints  and  drawings,  carried  thither  for  the  purpose  of  being 
transfen-ed  to  porcelain,  or  as  articles  of  commerce,  they  have 
acquired  a  better  taste  than  in  the  interior  parts  of  the  country. 
Great  quantities  of  porcelain  are  sent  fi'omthe  potteries  to  Can- 
ton, perfectly  white,  that  the  purchaser  may  have  them  painted 
to  his  own  pattern;  and  specimens  of  these  bear  testimony  that 
tliey  are  no  mean  copyists.  It  has  been  observed,  however,  that 


'     TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  219 

the  subjects  of  natural  history,  painted  by  them,  are  frequently 
incorrect ;  that  it  is  no  unusual  thing  to  meet  \\  ith  tlie  fioA\er  of 
one  plant  set  upon  the  stalk  of  another,  and  ha\ing  tlie  lea\-cs  of 
a  tliird.  This  may  formerly  have  been  the  case  from  their  fol- 
lowing imperfect  patterns,  or  from  supposing  they  could  im- 
prove nature ;  but  having  found  that  the  representations  of  natu- 
ral objects  are  in  more  request  among  foreigners,  the}'  pay  a 
stricter  attention  to  the  subject  that  may  be  required  ;  and  ^\c 
found  them,  indeed,  sucJi  scrupulous  copyists,  as  not  only  to 
draw  the  exact  number  of  the  petals,  the  stamina,  and  pistillaof 
a  flower,  but  also  the  very  numberof  leaves,  widi  the  thorns  or 
spots  on  the  foot-stalk  that  supported  it.  They  will  even  count 
the  number  of  scales  on  a  fish,  and  mark  tiiem  out  in  their  repre- 
sentations ;  and  it  is  impossible  to  imitate  the  brilliant  colours 
of  nature  more  closely.  I  brought  home  several  drawings  of 
plants,  birds,  and  insects,  that  have  been  greatly  admired  for 
tlieir  accuracy  and  close  colouring  ;  but  they  want  that  effect 
which  the  proper  application  of  light  and  shade  never  fails  to 
produce.  The  coloured  prints  of  Europe,  that  are  canied  out 
to  Canton,  ai'C  copied  there  with  wonderful  fidelity.  But  in 
doing  this,  they  exercise  no  judgment  of  their  o\\n.  EAcry  de- 
fect and  blemish,  original  or  accidental,  they  are  sure  to  cop}' ; 
being  mere  servile  imitators,  and  not  in  the  least  feeling  Uie 
force  or  the  beauty  of  any  specimen  of  tlie  arts  that  may  come 
before  them :  for  the  same  person,  \\ho  is  one  dayemplojed  in 
copying  a  beautiful  European  print,  will  sit  down  the  next  to 
a  Chinese  drawii^,  replete  with  absurdity. 

Whatever  may  be  the  progress  of  the  arts  in  the  port  of 
Canton,  they  ai-e  not  likely  to  experience  much  improAcment 
in  the  interior  parts  of  the  countr}',  or  in  the  capital.  It  was 
rather  die.  pride  of  the  monarch,  and  of  his  ministers,  that 
made  tiiem  reject  the  proposal  of  Castiglione  to  establish  a 
school  for  tile  arts,  than  the  apprehension,  as  stated  by  the  mis- 
sionaries, tiiat  the  rage  for  painting  Mxjuld  become  so  general 
as  to  be  prejudicial  to  useful  labour. 

In  a  country  m  here  painting  is  at  so  lo^\"  an  ebb,  it  would  be 
in  vain  to  expect  much  execution  from  the  chissel.  Grotesque 
images  of  ideal  beings,  and  monstrous  distortions  of  nature,  are 
sometimes  seen  upon  the  ballustrades  of  bridges,  and  in  their 
temples,  where  tiie  niches  are  filled  \vith  gigantic  gods  of  baked 
clay,  sometimes  painted  with  gaudy  colours,  and  sometimes 
plastered  over  with  gold  leaf,  or  covered  with  a  coatof  v:miish. 


220  ■      TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

They  are  as  little  able  to  model  as  to  draw  the  human  figure 
with  aiiy  degree  of  correctness.  In  the  whole  empire  there  is 
not  a  statue,  a  hewn  pillai',  or  a  column,  that  deserves  to  be 
mentioned.  Large  four-sided  blocks  of  stone  or  wood  are  fre- 
quently erected  near  the  gates  of  cities,  with  inscriptions  upon 
them,  meant  to  peq:)etuate  the  memory  of  certain  distinguished 
characters  ;  but  they  aie  neither  objects  of  grandeur  nor  orna- 
ment, having  a  much  closer  resemblance  to  a  gallows  than  to 
tiiumphal  arches,  as  the  missionaries,  for  Avhat  reason  I  know 
not,  have  thought  fit  to  call  them. 

The  intenti(  )n  of  tliese  monumental  erections  will  appear 
from  some  of  their  inscriptions. 


Honour  granted  by  the  emperor. 

The  grateful  odour  of  one  hundred  years. 

Retirement,  Tranquillity. 

11. 

Emperor^s  order. 
Peace    and    Happiness^ 

The  balm  of  life.  ♦ 

On  a  fortunate  day,  in  the  8th  month  of  the  SOth  year  of  the  reign 
of  Kien-Longy  this  monument  was  erected  by  the  emperor^s 
order y  in  honour  of  Liang-tien-pe, 
aged  102  years. 

The  two  following  are  inscriptions  on  monuments  that  Iiavc 
been  erected  to  chaste  women,  a  description  of  ladies  whom 
tlie  Chinese  consider  to  be  rarely  met  with. 

III. 

Honour  granted  by  the  emperor. 
Icy  coldness.  Hard  frost. 

IV. 

The  emperor's  order. 

The  sweet  fragrance  of  piety  and  virginity, 

Subli^ie  chastity.  Pure  morals. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  221 

The  whole  of  their  architecture,  indeed,  is  as  unsighdv 
as  unsohd ;  without  elegance  or  convenience  of  design,  and 
without  any  settled  proportion ;  mean  in  its  appeaiance, 
and  clumsy  in  the  Avorkmanship.  Their  pagodas  of  five, 
seven,  and  nine  rounds,  or  roofs,  are  the  most  striking  ob- 
jects ;  but  though  they  appear  to  be  the  imitations  or,  per- 
haps, more  properly  speaking,  the  models  of  a  similar  kind 
of  pyramids  found  in  India,  they  are  neither  so  well  de- 
signed, nor  so  well  executed :  they  are,  in  fact,  so  -sery  ill  con- 
structed, that  half  of  them,  without  any  marks  of  antiquity,  ap- 
pear in  ruins  ;  of  these  useless  and  whimsical  edifices  his  ma- 
jesty's garden  at  Kew  exhibits  a  specimen,  \\  hich  is  not  inferior 
in  any  respect  to  the  very  best  I  have  met  w  ith  in  China.  The 
height  of  such  strictures,  and  the  badness  of  the  materials  w  ith 
which  they  aie  usually  built,  contradict  the  notion  that  they 
assign  as  a  reason  for  the  lowness  of  tlieir  houses,  which  is, 
that  they  may  escape  being  throAMi  down  by  earthquakes.  In 
fact,  the  tent  stands  confessed  in  all  their  dwellings,  of  which 
the  curved  roof  and  the  wooden  pillars  (in  imitation  of  the  poles) 
forming  a  colonnade  round  the  ill-built  brick  \\alls,  clearly  de- 
note the  origin  ;  and  from  this  original  foitn  they  have  never 
ventured  to  deviate.  Their  temples  are  mostly  constructed 
upon  the  same  plan,  with  the  addition  of  a  second,  and  some- 
times a  third  roof,  one  above  the  other.  The  wooden  pilhirs 
tliat  constitute  the  colonnade  are  generally  of  larch  fir,  of  no 
settled  proportion  bet\\  een  the  length  and  the  diameter,  and 
they  ai*e  invariably  painted  red,  and  sometimes  covered  with  a 
coat  of  varnish. 

As  custom  ajid  fashion  are  not  the  same  in  any  two  coun- 
tries,  it  has  been  contended  by  many  that  there  can  be  no 
such  thing  as  true  taste.  The  advocates  for  taste  arising  out 
of  custom  will  say,  tliat  no  solid  reason  can  be  offered  why 
the  pillar  which  supports  the  Doric  capital  should  be  t\\o 
diameters  shorter  than  that  which  sustains  the  Corinthian  ; 
and  that  it  is  the  habit  only  of  seeing  diem  thus  constructed 
that  constitutes  their  propriety.  Though  the  respective  beau 
ties  of  these  particular  columns  may,  in  part,  be  felt  from 
the  habit  of  observing  them  always  retaining  a  settled  pro- 
portion, yet  it  must  be  allowed  that,  in  the  most  perfect 
works  of  nature,  there  appeai-s  a  certain  harmony  and  agree- 
ment of  one  part  with  another,  that,  without  any  settled  pro- 
pgrtion,  seldoi;i  fail  to  please.     Few  people  will  disagree  in 


222  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

their  ideas  of  a  handsome  tree,  or  an  elegant  flower,  though 
tliere  be  no  fixedproportion  between  the  trinik  and  the  branches, 
the  flower  and  the  foot- stalk.  Proportion,  therefore,  alone,  is 
not  sufficient  to  constitute  beauty.  There  must  be  no  stiffl 
ness,  no  sudden  breaking  oflf  from  a  straight  line  to  a  curve ; 
but  the  changes  should  be  easy,  not  visible  in  any  particular 
part,  but  running  imperceptibly  tlirpugh  the  whole.  Utility 
has  also  been  considered  as  one  oT  the  constituent  parts  of 
beauty.  In  the  Chinese  column,  labouring  under  an  enor- 
mous mass  of  roof,  without  either  base  or  capital,  there  is 
neither  synuTietry  of  parts,  nor  ease,  nor  pai'ticular  utility. 
Nor  have  the  large  ill-shapen  and  unnatural  figures  of  lions, 
dragons,  and  serpents,  grinning  on  the  tops  and  corners  of 
the  roofs,  any  higher  pretensions  to  good  taste,  to  utility,  or 
to  beaut3\ 

'^  The  architecture  of  the  Chinese,"  says  one  of  their  enco- 
miasts, "  though  it  bears  no  relation  to  that  of  Europe,  though 
*'  it  has  borrowed  nothing  from  that  of  the  Greeks,  has  a  cer- 
* '  tain  beauty  peculiar  to  itself. "  It  is,  indeed,  peculiar  to  itself; 
and  the  missionaries  may  be  assured  tliey  are  the  only  persons 
who  will  e^'er  discover  "  real  palaces  in  the  mansions  of  the 
emperor,"  or  to  whom,  "  their  immensity,  symmetry,  and 
*'  magnificence,  will  amiounce  the  grandeur  of  the  master  who 
"  inhabits  them." 

The  house  of  a  prince,  or  a  great  officer  of  state,  in  the 
capital,  is  not  much  distinguished  from  that  of  a  tradesman, 
except  by  the  greater  space  of  ground  on  which  it  stands, 
and  by  being  surrounded  by  a  high  wall.  Our  lodgings  in 
Pekin  were  in  a  house  of  this  description.  The  gi'ound  plot 
was  four  hundred  by  three  hundred  feet,  and  it  was  laid  out 
into  ten  or  twelve  courts,  some  having  tw  o,  some  three,  and 
others  four,  tent-shaped  houses,  standing  on  stone  terraces, 
raised  about  tlii-ee  feet  above  the  court,  \diich  was  paved  with 
tiles.  Galleries  of  communication,  forming  colonnades  of  red 
wooden  pillai-s,  were  carried  from  each  building,  and  from 
one  court  to  another,  so  that  every  piut  of  the  house  might 
be  visited  without  exposure  to  the  sun  or  the  rain.  The 
number  of  wooden  pillars,  of  which  the  colonnades  were 
formed,  was  about  900.  Most  of  the  rooms  were  open  to 
the  rafters  of  the  roof;  but  some  had  a  slight  ceiling  of 
bamboo  laths  covered  with  plaister;  and  the  ladies  apart- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  223 

ments  consisted  of  two  stories;  the  upper,  hov.ever,  had 
no  light,  and  was  not  so  good  as  our  common  attics.  The 
floors  were  laid  with  bricks  or  clay.  The  \\indov.  s  had.  no 
glass;  oiled  paper,  or  silk  gauze,  or  pearl  shell,  or  horn,  were 
used  as  substitutes  for  this  article.  In  the  corners  of  some 
of  the  rooms  were  holes  in  the  ground,  co\ered  o\er  \\ith 
stones  or  wood,  intended  for  lire-places,  from  whence  the 
heat  is  conveyed,  as  in  the  houses  of  ancient  Rome,  through 
flues  in  the  floor,  or  in  the  walls,  the  latter  of  A\hich  are  ge- 
nerally A\  hitened  with  lime  made  from  shells,  and  imported 
from  the  sea  coast.  One  room  was  pointed  out  to  us  as  the 
theati-e.  The  stage  was  in  the  middle,  imd  a  soil  of  gallery 
was  erected  in  front  of  it.  A  stone  room  A\as  built  in  the 
midst  of  a  piece  of  water,  in  imitation  of  a  passage  vacht, 
and  one  of  the  courts  was  roughened  w  ith  rocks,  ^vith  points 
and  precipices  and  excavations,  as  a  representation  of  nature 
in  miniature.  On  the  ledges  of  these  were  meant  to  be  placed 
their  favourite  flowers  and  stunted  trees,  for  w  hich  the}'  are 
famous. 

There  is  not  a  water-closet,  nor  a  decent  place  of  retirement, 
in  all  China.  Sometimes  a  stick  is  placed  oxer  a  hole  in  a 
comer,  but  in  general  tliey  make  use  of  large  earthen  jars, 
with  naiTO\v  tops.  In  the  great  iiouse  we  occupied  ^\•as  a 
walled  inclosure,  \\ith  a  row  of  small  square  holes  of  brick 
work  sunk  in  the  ground. 

Next  to  the  pagodas,  the  most  conspicuous  objects  are  the 
gates  of  cities.  These  are  generally  squiUT  buildings,  carried 
several  stories  above  the  arched  gateway,  and,  like  the  tem- 
ples, are  covered  ^\  ith  one  or  more  large  projecting  roofs. 
But  tlie  most  stupendous  w^ork  of  this  country-  is  the  great 
wall  that  divides  it  from  northern  Tartary.  It  is  built  exactiv 
upon  the  same  plan  as  the  wall  of  Pekin ;  being  a  mound  of  earth 
cased  on  each  side  with  bricks  or  stone.  The  astonishinj^- 
magnitude  of  the  iabrick  consists  not  so  m.uch  in  the  plan  of  die 
work  as  in  the  immense  distance  of  fifteen  hundred  miles, 
over  which  it  is  extended,  over  mountains  of  two  and  three 
thousand  feet  in  height,  across  deep  valleys  and  rivers.  But 
the  elevations,  plans,  and  sections  of  this  wall,  and  its  towers, 
have  been  taken,  with  such  ti'uth  and  accuracy,  by  the  late 
captain  Parish,  of  the  royal  artillery,  that  all  further  descrip- 
tion would  be  supei-fluous.  Tliey  ai-e  to  be  found  in  Sij- 
George  Staunton's  valuable  account  of  the  embassy  to  China. 


224  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

The  same  emperor,  who  is  said  to  have  committed  the 
barbai-ous  act  of  destroying  the  A\'oi-ks  of  tlie  learned,  raised 
this  stapendous  fabric,  Avhich  has  no  parallel  in  the  whole 
vrorld,  not  even  in  the  pyramids  of  Egypt ;  the  magnitude 
of  the  largest  of  these  containing  only  a  very  small  portion 
of  the  quantity  of  matter  comprehended  in  the  great  wall  of 
China.  This,  indeed,  is  so  enormous,  that,  admitting  (what 
I  believe  has  never  been  denied)  its  length  to  be  fifteen  hun- 
dred miles,  and  the  dimensions  throughout  pretty  much  the 
same  as  where  it  was  crossed  by  the  British  embassy,  the  ma- 
terials of  all  the  dwelling-houses  of  England  and  Scotland, 
supposing  them  to  amouiit  to  one  million  eight  hundred 
thousand,  and  to  average  on  the  whole  two  thousand  cubic 
feet  of  masonry  or  brick- work,  are  barely  equivalent  to  the 
bulk  or  solid  contents  of  the  great  wall  of  China.  Nor  are 
the  projecting  massy  towers  of  stone  and  brick  included  in 
this  calculation.  These  alone,  supposing  them  to  continue 
thi'oughout,  at  bow-shot  distance,  were  calculated  to  contain 
as  much  masonry  and  brick- work  as  all  London.  To  give 
another  idea  of  the  mass  of  matter  in  this  stupendous  fabric, 
it  may  be  observed,  that  it  is  more  than  sufficient  to  suiTOund 
the  circumference  of  the  earth  on  two  of  its  great  circles  with 
two  walls,  each  six  feet  high  and  two  feet  thick !  It  is  to 
be  understood,  however,  that  in  this  calculation  is  included 
the  eaithy  part  in  the  middle  of  the  wall. 

Turning  from  an  object,  which  the  great  doctor  Johnson 
was  of  opinion  would  be  an  honour  to  any  one  to  say  that  his 
grandfather  had  seen,  another  presents  itself,  scarcely  inferior  in 
point  of  grandeur,  and  greatly  excelling  it  in  general  utility. 
This  is  what  has  usually  been  called  the  imperial  or  grand  canal, 
an  inland  navigation  of  such  extent  and  magnitude  as  to  stand 
unrivalled  in  the  history  of  the  world.  I  may  safely  say  that, 
in  point  of  magnitude,  our  most  extensive  inland  navigation  of 
England  can  no  more  be  compai-ed  to  the  grand  trunk  that 
intersects  China,  than  a  park  or  garden  fish-pond  to  the  great 
lake  of  Winndermere.  The  Chinese  ascribe  an  antiquity  to 
this  work,  higher,  by  many  centuries,  than  to  that  of  the  great 
wall :  but  the  Tartars  pretend  it  was  first  opened  in  the  thir- 
teenth century,  under  the  Mongul  government.  The  probabi- 
lity is,  that  an  effeminate  and  shameful  administration  had  suf- 
fered it  to  fall  into  decay,  and  that  the  more  active  Tartars 
caused  it  to  undergo  a  tliorough  repair;  at  present  it  exhibits  no 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  225 

appearances  of  great  antiquit}\  The  bridges,  the  stone  piers  of 
the  flood-giites,  die  quays,  and  the  retaining  walls  of  the  earthen 
embankments,  aie  compai-atively  new.  Whedier  it  has  origi- 
nally been  constructed  by  Chinese  or  Tai'tars,  the  conception 
of  such  an  undertaking,  and  the  manner  in  \\  hich  it  is  executed, 
imply  a  dcgice  of  science  and  ingenuity  beyond  ^\•hat  I  suspect 
we  should  now  find  in  the  countiy,  eitlier  in  one  or  the  other 
of  these  people.  The  general  surface  of  the  countiy,  and  other 
f  u'ourabie  circumstances,  have  contributed  very  materially  to 
assist  the  projector  ;  but  a  great  deal  of  skill  and  management, 
as  well  as  of  immense  labour,  ai'e  conspicuous  throughout  the 
\vho\t  work. 

I  shall  endeavour  to  convey,  in  a  few  \\'ords,  a  general  idea  of 
the  principles  on  \vhich  this  grand  undertaking  has  been  carried 
on.     All  tiic  ri\ers  of  iiotc  in  China  fall  fi-om  the  high  lands  of 
Tartary,  which  lie  to  the  nortlward  ef  Thibet,  crossing  the 
plains  of  this  empire  in  their  descent  to  the  sea  from  west  to 
cast.  The  iiiland  navigation,  being  carried  from  north  to  south, 
cuts  these  ri\ers  at  right  angles,  the  smaller  streams  of  which, 
terminating  in  it,  aftbrd  a  constant  supply  of  water  ;  and  the 
three  great  rivers,  the  Eu-ho  to  the  north,  the  Yellow-river  to- 
wards the  middle,  and  the  Yang-tse-kiang  to  the  south,  inter- 
secting the  canal,  carry  oil'  the  superfluous  water  to  the  sea. 
The  former,  therefore,  ai^e  the  feeders,  and  the  latter  the  dis- 
chargers, of  the  great  trunk  of  the  canal.    A  number  of  diffi- 
culties must  have  arisen  in  accommodating  the  general  level  of 
the  canal  to  the  several  levels  of  the  feeding  streams ;  for,  notwith- 
standing all  the  favourable  circumstances  of  the  face  of  the 
country,  it  has  been  found  necessary,  in  many  places,  to  cut 
do\\"n  to  the  depth  of  sixty  or  se^'enty  feet  below  tlie  surface,  and, 
in  others,  to  raise  mounds  of  earth  upon  lakes  and  sw-amps  and 
marshy  grounds,  of  such  a  length  and  magnitude  that  nothing 
short  of  the  absolute  command  o\'er  multitudes  could  have  ac- 
complished an  undertaking,  whose  immensity  is  only  exceeded 
hv  the  great  wall.     These  gigantic  embankments  are  some- 
times carried  through  lakes  of  several  miles  in  diameter,  be- 
t\\een  v\hich  the  water  is  forced  up  to  a  licight  consideraI)ly 
uho^•e  that  of  the  lake  ;  and  in  such  situations  we  sometimes  ob-  - 
served  this  enormous  aqueduct,  gliding  along  at  the  rate  of  three 
miles  an  hour.  I'ew  parts  of  it  are  le\'el :  in  some  places  it  has 
little  or  no  cuiTcnt;  one  day  we  had  it  setting  to  the  southwai-d 
at  the  rate  of  one,  tvv*o,  or  three  miles  an  hour,  the  next  to  the 

Ff 


226  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

northward,  and  frequently,  on  the  same  day,  we  found  it  station- 
ar}',  and  running  into  opposite  directions.  This  balancing  of 
the  level  \\as  eflccted  by  flood-gates  throAvn  across,  at  certain 
distances,  to  elevate  or  depress  the  height  of  the  water  a  fe^v 
inches,  as  might  appear  to  be  necessary  :  and  these  stoppages 
are  simply  planks  sliding  in  grooves,"  that  are  cut  into  the  sides 
of  two  stone  abutments,  which,  in  these  places,  contract  tlie 
canal  to  the  a\  idth  of  about  thirty  feet.  There  is  not  a  lock,  n(»\ 
except  these,  a  single  interruption  to  a  continued  navigation 
of  six  hundred  miles. 

The  most  remarkable  parts  of  this  extraordinary  -work  a\  ill 
be  noticed  in  a  follo"\\  ing  chapter,  descriptiA  e  of  our  journey 
tlirough  the  empire. 

0\er  this  main  trunk,  and  most  of  the  other  canals  and  riAers, 
are  a  great  vaiuety  of  bridges,  some  with  arches  that  are  pointed 
not  unlike  the  gothic,  some  semicircular,  and  others  shaped 
like  a  horse-shoe :  some  have  tlie  piers  of  such  aji  extraordiniiry 
height,  tliat  the  kirgest  vessels,  of  two  hundred  tons,  sail  under 
them  without  striking  their  masts.  Some  of  their  bridges,  of 
three,  five,  and  seven  arches,*  that  cross  the  canal,  are  extreme- 
ly light  and  beautiful  to  the  eye ;  but  the  plan  on  \\  hich  they  ai'c 
usually  constructed  does  not  imply  much  strength.  Each 
stone,  from  five  to  ten  feet  in  length,  is  cut  so  as  to  form  a  seg- 
ment of  the  arch  ;  and  as,  in  such  cases,  there  is  no  key-stone, 
ribs  of  wood,  fitted  to  the  con\exity  of  tlie  arch,  are  bolted 
through  the  stones  by  iron  bai's,  fixed  fast  into  the  solid  parts  of 
the  bridge.  Sometimes,  how  ever,  they  are  without  wood,  and 
the  curved  stones  are  morticed  into  long  ti'ansverse  blocks  of 
stone. 

Tliere  are,  however,  other  arches,  wherein  the  stones  arc 
smaller  and  pointed  to  a  centre,  as  in  ours.  I  have  understood, 
from  the  late  captain  Piuish,  that  no  masonry  could  be  superior 
to  that  of  the  great  wall,  and  that  all  the  arched  and  vaulted  work 
in  the  old  towers  was  exceedingly  well  turned.  This  being 
the  case,  we  may  probably  be  not  far  amiss  in  allowing  the 
Chinese  to  have  employed  this  useful  and  ornamental  prnt  of 
architecture  before  it  \\  as  knoM  n  to  the  Greeks  and  the  Ro- 
mans. Neither  the  Egyptians  nor  the  Persians  apj)car  at  any 
time  to  have  applied  it  in  their  buildings.  The  ruins  of  Thebes 
and  of  Persepolis  ha\'e  no  arches,  nor  have  those  of  Balbec  and 

*  A  bridge  with  ninetj-one arches  will  be  noticed  in  n  subsernirnt  ch:.];t>'i-, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  22r 

Palm}Ta ;  nor  do  they  seem  to  have  been  much  used  in  the 
magnificent  buildings  of  the  Romans,  antecedent  to  the  time  of 
Augustus.  The  grand  and  elegant  columns  of  all  these  nations 
\\ere  connected  by  straight  architra\cs  of  stone,  of  dimensions 
not  inferior  to  the  columns  themselves.  In  the  Hindoo  ex- 
ca^  ations  are  arches  cut  out  of  the  solid  moimtain  ;  but  when 
loose  stones  were  employed,  and  a  building  ^^'as  intended  to 
be  supefstructed  on  cohunns,  the  stones  above  the  capitals 
were  overlaid  like  inverted  steps,  till  they  met  in  a  point  in  the 
middle  above  the  two  columns,  ajjpearing  at  a  little  distimcc 
exactly  like  the  Gotliic  ai'ch,  of  which  this  might  have  given  the 
first  idea.  If,  then,  the  antiquity  be  admitted,  which  the  Chi- 
nese ascrii)e  to  the  building  of  the  great  wall,  and  no  reason, 
but  a  negative  one,  (the  silence  of  Marco  Polo)  has  been  of- 
Ibred  against  it  (an  ol:)jection  easily  refuted),  tliey  have  a  claim 
to  the  invention  of  the  ai-ch,  founded  on  no  unsolid  grounds. 

The  cemeteries,  or  repositories  of  the  dead,  exhibit  a  much 
gi'eater  variety  of  monumental  architecture  than  the  dwellings 
(^f  the  living  can  boast  of.  Some,  indeed,  deposit  the  remains  of 
their  ancestors  in  houses  that  difter  in  nothing  from  those  they 
iiilrdbited  while  living,  except  in  their  diminuti\e  size  ;  others 
jjrefer  a  squai-e  vault,  ornamented  in  such  a  manner  as  fanc}'  may 
suggest ;  some  make  choice  of  a  hexagon  to  co^•er  the  deceased, 
and  others  of  an  octagon.  The  roun(|,  the  triangular,  the  square, 
and  multanguliu'  column,  is  indifferently  raised  over  the  graA-e 
of  a  Chinese  ;  but  the  most  common  form  of  a  monument  to 
the  remains  of  persons  of  rank  consists  in  three  ten'aces,  one 
above  another,  inclosed  by  circular  \vi\\\s.  The  door  or  en- 
trance of  the  \'ault  is  in  the  centre  of  the  uppermost  terrace, 
(•t)\ered  with  an  appropriate  inscription  ;  and  figures  of  sla\"cs 
and  horses  and  cattle,  with  other  creatures  that,  when  li\ing, 
N\cre  subserA'icnt  to  them,  and  added  to  their  pleasures,  are  cm- 
ployed  after  their  death,  to  decorate  the  terraces  of  their 
tombs. 

"  Qiix  gratia  currum 
"  Armoruraque  fuit  vivis,  qux  cura  nitentes 
*'  Pascere  equos,  caclcm  scquitur  telliire  repostos." 

ViRGII..   .-Ekeid  vi. 

"  Those  pleasing-  cares  the  heroes  felt,  alive, 

"  For  chariots,  steeds,  and  arms,  in  death  survive."     Pii  t. 


228  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

It  may  be  considered  as  supeifluous,  after  what  has  been 
said,  to  observe,  that  no  branch  of  natural  philosophy  is  made 
a  study,  or  a  pursuit,  in  China.     The  practical  application 
of  some  of  the  most  obviaus  effects,  produced  by  naturiil 
causes,  could  not  escape  the  observation  of  a  people  \\  ho  had, 
at  an  early  period,  attained  so,  high  a  degree  of  civilization  ; 
but,  satisiied  \vith  the  practical  part,  they  pushed  tlieir  en- 
quiries no  further.     Of  pneumatics,  hydiostatics,  electricity, 
and  magnetism,  they  may  be  said  to  have  little  or  no  kno^v- 
ledge;  and  their  optics  extend  net  beyond  the  making  of 
com'cx  and  concave  lenses  of  rock  crystal,  to  assist  the  siglit  in 
magnifying  or  throwing  more  rays  upon  small  objects,  and,  by 
collecting  to  a  focus  the  rays  of  the  sun,  to  set  fire  to  com. 
bustible  substances.     These  lenses  are  cut  with  a  saw,  and 
afterwards    polished;  the  powder  of  cr^-stal  being  used  in 
both  operations.     To  polish  diamonds  they  make  use  of  the 
powder  of  adaniantine  spai-,  or  the  corundum  stone.     In  cut- 
ting different  kinds  of  stone  into  groupes  of  figures,  houses, 
mountains,  and  sometimes  into  "whole  landscapes,  they  dis- 
cover  more  of  persevering  labour,  of  a  determination  to  sub- 
due difficulties,  ^ihich  were  not  "worth  the  subduing,  tlian 
real  ingenuity.      Among  the  many  remai'kable  instiinccs  of 
this  kind  of  labour,  there  is  one  in  the  possession  of  the  right 
honourable  Charles  Greville,  that  deserA-es  to  be  noticed.     It 
is  a  groupe  of  w^ell-formed,  exca-v^ated,  and  highl}^  ornamented 
botdes,  covered  Avith  foliage  and  figures,  raised  in  the  maii- 
ner  of  the  antique  Cameos,    with  moveable  ring-handles, 
standing  on  a  base  or  pedestal,  the  ^^•hole  cut  out  of  one  solid 
block  of  clear  rock  crystal ;    yet  this  laborious  trifle  was 
probably  sold  for  a  few  dollars  in  China.     It  \;as  bought  in 
London  for  about  thirty  pounds,    where  it  could  not  ha^c 
been  made  for  many  times  that  sum,  if,  indeed,  it  could  have 
been  made  at  all.     All  their  spectacles,  that  I  hai-e  seen,  ^vcrc 
crystal  set  in  horn,  tortoise-shell,  or  ivory.     The  single  nii- 
croscope  is  in  common  use ;  but  they  have  never  hit  upon 
the  effect  of  approximating  objects  by  combining  two  or 
more  lenses ;  a  cliscover}-,  indeed,  to  ^A^hich,  in  Euroj}c,  \\c 
sore  more  indebted  to  chance  than  to  the  result  of  scientific 
enquiry.    I  observed  at  Yuen-m.in-yucn  a  rude  kind  of  magic 
lantern,  and  a  camera  obscura,  neither  of  which,  aItlioup;h 
evidently  of  Chinese  workmanship,  appcai- to  wear  the  marks 
of  a  national  invention.     I  should  rather  conclude  that  they 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  229 

were  part  of  those  striking  and  curious  experiments  which 
the  early  Jesuits  displayed  at  court,  in  order  to  astonish  the 
emperor  with  their  profound  skill,  and  raise  their  reputation 
as  men  of  learning'.  Of  the  ombres  Chinoises  they  ma}-, 
perhaps,  claim  the  invention,  and  in  pyrotechny  their  inge- 
nuity may  be  reckoned  much  superior  to  any  thing  which 
has  "hitherto  been  exhibited  in  that  art  in  Europe. 

A  convex  lens  is  among  the  usual  appendagxs  to  the  tobac- 
co pipe.  With  these  tliey  are  in  the  daily  habit  of  lighting 
their  pipes.  Hence,  the  great  burning  lens,  made  by  Mr. 
Parker  of  Fleet-street,  and  earned  out  among  the  presents 
for  the  emperor,  was  an  object  that  excited  no  admiration  in 
the  minds  of  the  Ciiinese.  The  difficulty  of  making  a  lens 
of  such  magnitude  perfect,  or  free  from  Haw,  and  its  extra- 
ordinary powers,  could  not  be  understood,  and  consequently 
not  appreciated  by  them ;  and  although,  in  the  short  space 
of  four  seconds,  it  completely  melted  down  or.e  of  their  base 
copper  coins,  when  the  sun  was  more  than  forty  degrees  be- 
yond the  meridian,  it  made  no  impression  of  surprise  on  tlieir 
uninformed  minds.  The  only  enquiry  they  made  about  it 
was,  ^\  hether  the  substance  vras  crystal ;  but  being  informed 
it  WHS  glassj  they  turned  away  \vith  a  sort  of  disdain,  as  if 
the}""  would  say,  Is  a  lump  of  glass  a  proper  present  to  ofier 
to  our  great  Whang-tee?  The  prime  minister,  Ho-tchung- 
tong,  in  order  to  convince  us  how  very  familiar  articles  of 
such  a  nature  Averc  to  him,  lighted  his  pipe  very  composedly 
at  the  focus,  but  had  a  narrow  escape  from  singing  liis  satin 
sleeve,  Avhicli  would  certainly  have  happened,  had  I  not  given 
him  a  sudden  push.  He  seemed,  however,  to  be  insensible 
of  his  danger,  and  walked  oif  w-ithout  the  least  concern. 

Indeed,  in  selecting  the  many  \'aluable  presents  relating  to 
science,  their  knowledge  and  learning  had  been  greatly  oxcv. 
rated.  They  had  little  esteem  for  what  they  could  not  com- 
prehend ;  and  specimens  of  art  ser\-ed  onl\-  to  excite  their 
j(^alousy,  and  to  wound  their  pride.  Whenever  a  future 
embass}'  shall  be  sent  to  Pekin,  I  should  recommend  articles 
of  gold,  silver,  and  steel,  children's  toys  and  trinkets,  and 
perhaps  a  few  specimens  of  Derbyshire  spar,  a\  ith  the  finest 
broad-cloth  and  kerse)'meres,  in  preference  to  all  others  ;  for 
in  their  present  state,  they  are  totally  incapable  of  appreciating 
any  thing  great  or  excellent  in  the  arts  and  yelences. 


230  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

To  allcN  late  the  afflictions  of  mankind,  and  to  assuage  the 
pains  Mhicli  the  human  frame  is  Hablc  to  suffer,  must  ha\'C 
been  among  the  carhest  studies  of  civilized  society;  and, 
accordingly,  in  the  history  of  ancient  kingdoms,  we  find  the 
]:)ractitioners  of  the  healing  ait  regaixled  even  to  adoration. 
Chiron,  the  preceptor  of  Achilles,  and  the  master  of  j^scu- 
lapius,  ■v\'as  transferred  to  the  lieavens,  where  he  still  shines 
\!ndcr  the  name  of  Sagittarius.  Among  those  nations,  in- 
deed, A\hich  we  call  savage,  there  is  usually  shewn  a  more 
than  ordintiry  respect  for  such  of  their  countiymen  as  arc 
most  skilled  in  removing  obstructions,  allaying  tumours, 
healing  bruises,  and,  generally  speaking,  "\\"ho  can  apply  relief 
to  miser)'.  But  the  Chinese,  who  seem  to  differ  in  their  opi- 
nions from  all  the  rest  of  mankind,  ^^•hether  civilized  or  savage, 
pav  little  respect  to  the  thcrapeutick  art.  They  ha-ve  esta- 
blished no  public  schools  for  the  study  of  medicine,  nor  does 
the  pursuit  of  it  lead  to  honours,  rank  or  fortune.  Such  as 
take  up  the  profession  are  generally  of  an  inferior  class ;  and 
the  eunuchs  aiiout  the  palace  are  considered  among  their  best 
physicians.  According  to  their  own  account,  the  books  on 
medicine  escaped  die  lire,  by  which  they  pretend  the  works 
of  learning  were  consumed,  in  the  reign  of  Shee- whang-tee, 
t\\  o  himdred  years  before  the  Christian  era ;  and  yet,  the  best 
of  their  medical  books  of  the  present  day  ai^c  little  better  than 
mere  herbals,  specifying  ,the  names,  and  enumerating  the 
qualities,  of  certain  plants.  The  knowledge  of  these  plants, 
and  of  their  supposed  virtues,  goes  a  great  way  towards  con- 
stituting a  physician.  Those  most  commonly  employed  ^re 
gin-sing,  rhubarb,  and  China-root.  A  few  preparations  ai'e 
also  found  in  their  pharmacopoeia  from  the  animal  and  the 
mineral  kingdoms.  In  the  former  they  employ  snakes,  bee- 
tles, centipedes,  and  the  aurcliae  of  the  silk  worm  and  otlicr 
insects ;  the  meloe  and  the  bee  are  used  for  blisters.  In  tlic 
latter,  saltpetre,  sulphur,  nati\'e  cinnabai',  and  a  few  other 
articles,  are  occasionally  prescribed.  Opium  is  taken  as 
a  medicine,  but  more  generally  as  a  cordial  to  exhilarate  the 
spirits.  Though  the  importation  of  this  diug  is  strictly  pro- 
liibited,  yet,  as  I  have  before  observed,  vast  quantities  are 
annual!}'  smuggled  into  the  country  from  Bengal  and  from 
Kurope,  through  the  connivimce  of  the  custom-house  off.- 
ccrs. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  231 

The  ph)'siology  of  the  human  body,  or  the  doctilne  which 
explains  thtt  constitution  of  man,  is  neitlier  understood  nor 
considered  as  necessary  to  be  known  ;  and  their  skill  in  patho- 
logy, or  in  the  causes  and  effects  of  diseases,  is  extremely 
limited,  very  often  absurd,  and  generally  erroneous.  Tlie 
seats  of  most  diseases  are,  in  fact,  supposed  to  be  discoverable 
by  feeling  the  pulse,  agreeably  to  a  system  built  upon  princi- 
ples the  most  \n  ild  and  extravagant.  Having  no  knowledge 
whatsoe\'er  of  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  not\\ith standing 
the  Jesuits  have  made  no  scruple  in  asserting  it  \\'as  a\c11  kno\\-n 
to  them  long  before  Europeans  had  any  idea  of  it,  they 
imagine  that  every  particular  piut  of  the  human  bod\'  has  a 
particular  pulse  assigned  to  it,  and  that  these  ha^•e  all  a  cor- 
responding and  sympathetic  pulse  in  the  arm  ;  thus,  they 
suppose  one  pulse  to  be  situated  in  the  heart,  another  in  the 
lungs,  a  third  in  the  kidneys,  and  so  forth ;  and  the  skill  of 
the  doctor  consists  in  discovering  the  pre\  ailing  pulse  in  the 
body,  by  its  sympathetic  pulsations  in  the  arm  ;  and  the 
mummeiy  made  use  of  on  such  occasions  is  highly  ludi- 
crous. 

By  eating  too  freely  of  \mripc  fruit  at  Chu-san,  I  had  a 
violent  attack  of  cholera  morbus ;  and,  on  application  being 
made  to  the  governor  for  a  little  opium  and  rhubarb,  lie  im- 
mediately dispatched  to  me  one  of  his  physicians.  With  a 
countenance  as  grave,  and  a  solemriity  as  settled,  as  ever  w;is 
exhibited  in  a  consultation  o\er  a  doubtful  case  in  London 
or  Edinburgh,  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  ceiling,  wlule  lie 
held  my  kind,  beginning  at  the  \\  rist,  and  proceeding  to- 
wards the  bending  of  the  elbow,  pressing  sometimes  hard 
wldi  one  linger,  and  then  light  with  anotlier,  as  if  he  was 
nnining  over  the  keys  of  a  harpsichoid.  This  peribrmance 
continued  about  ten  minutes,  in  solemn  silence ;  after  \\hich 
he  let  go  my  hand,  and  pronounced  my  complaint  to  ha^■e 
arisen  from  eating  something  that  had  disagreed  M'ith  the 
stomach.  I  shall  not  take  upon  me  to  decide  whether  this 
conclusion  was  drawn  from  his  skill  in  the  pulse,  or  from  a 
conjecture  of  the  nature  of  the  complaint  from  the  medicines 
that  had  been  demanded,  and  which  met  Avith  his  entire 
approbation,  or  from  a  knowledge  of  the  fact. 

Le  Compte,  who  had  less  re^ison  to  l)e  cautious,  from  his 
having  left  the  country,  than  other  missionaries  wlio  iu-c 
doomed  to  remain  there  for  life,    positively  says  thnt  the 


2J2  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

physicians  al^\"ays  endeavour  to  make  thcmsehcs  secretly 
acquainted  A\ith  the  case  of  the  patient,  before  they  pronounce 
upon  it ;  as  their  reputation  depends  more  on  their  assign- 
ing the  true  cauie  of  the  disorder  than  on  the  cure.  He 
then  proceeds  to  tell  a  story  of  a  friend  of  his,  who,  being 
troubled  with  a  swellirig,  sent  for  a  Chinese  physician. 
This  gentleman  told  him  very  gravely  that  it  was  occiisioned 
by  a  small  worm  which,  unless  extracted  by  his  skill,  would 
ultim.ately  produce  gangrene  and  certain  death.  Accord- 
ingly, one  day,  after  the  tumour,  by  the  application  of  a 
fe-\v  poultices,  was  getting  better,  the  doctor  contrived  to 
drop  upon  the  removed  poultice  a  little  maggot,  for  the  ex- 
traction of  \\  hich  he  assumed  to  himself  no  sm.iiil  desrrce  of 

o 

merit.  Le  Compte's  stories,  howe\'er,  are  not  always  to  be 
depended  on. 

The  priests  are  also  a  kind  of  doctors,  and  make  plaisters  for 
a  -variety  of  pui"poses,  some  to  draw  out  the  disease  to  the  part 
applied,  some  as  charmis  against  the  evil  spirit,  and  others 
which  they  pretend  to  be  aphrodisiac  ;  all  of  which,  and 
the  last  in  particular,  ai'C  in  great  demand  among  the  wealthy. 
In  this  respect  the  Chinese  agree  with^most  nations  of  anti- 
quity, whose  priests  were  generally  employed  as  physicians. 
The  number  of  quacks  and  -slenders  of  nostrums  is  immense  in 
e\erv  city,  who  gain  a  livelihood  by  the  credulity  of  the 
multitude.  One  of  this  description  exhibited,  in  the  public 
streets  of  Canton,  a  powder  for  sale,  as  a  specific  for  the  bite  of 
a  snake;  and  to  comince  a  crowd  of  its  immediiite  efiicacy, 
he  carried  with  him  a  species  of  this  reptile,  whose  bite  was 
known  to  be  extremely  venemous.  He  applied  the  mouth  of 
the  animal  to  the  tip  of  his  tongue,  v  hich  began  to  swell  so 
■\erv  rapidly,  that  in  a  few  minutes  the  mouth  v. as  no  longer 
able  to  contain  it.  The  intumescence  continued  till  it  seemed 
to  bin-st,  and  exhibited  a  shocking  sight  of  foam  and  blood, 
during  which  the  quack  appeared  in  extrem.e  agonies,  and  ex- 
cited the  commiseration  of  all  the  by-standcrs.  In  the  height 
of  the  paroxism,  he  applied  a  little  of  his  powder  to  the  nose 
and  the  infiamcd  member  ;  after  wh.ich  it  gradually  subrsided, 
and  the  disorder  disappeared.  Tliough  the  probabilit}-,  in  the 
city,  of  any  one  person  being  bit  with  a  snake,  was  not  less, 
perhaps,than  a  hundred  thousand  to  one,  yet  ever\-  person  pre- 
sent bought  of  the  miraculous  powder ;  till  a  sly  fellow  mali- 
ciously suggested  that  the  ^rhole  of  this  scene  might,  probabl;.-, 


te 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  233 

have  been  performed  by  means  of  a  bladder  concealed  in  the 

moiith. 

But  the  usual  remedy  for  the  bite  of  a  snake  is  a  topical  ap- 
plication of  sulphur,  or  the  bruised  head  of  the  same  animal 
that  gave  the  wound.  The  coincidence  of  such  an  exti'avagant 
idea,  among  nations  as  remote  from  each  other  as  the  equator 
from  the  pole,  is  sufficiently  remarkable.  A  Roman  poet 
observes, 

"  Q;ium  nocuit  serpens,  fertur  caput  illiiis  apte 
•'  Vulneribus  jungi  :  sanat  quern  sauciat  ips>  " 

^.  Ser      .,de  Medkina. 

If  to  a  serpent's  Lite  its  head  be  laid, 
Twill  heal  the  wound  which  by  itself  was  made. 

The  naked  legs  of  the  Hottentots  are  frequently  stung  by  scor- 
pions, and  they  invariably  endeavour  to  catch  the  animal,  which 
they  bruise  and  apply  to  the  wound  ;  being  confident  of  the 
cure.  The  Javanese,  or  inhabitants  of  Java,  are  fully  persuaded 
of  the  efficacy  of  such  application.  And  the  author  above 
quoted  observes,  with  regard  to  the  sting  of  the  insect, 

'*  Vulneribusque  aptus,  fertur  revocare  venenum." 

Being  applied  to  the  wound,  it  is  said  to  draw  out  the  poison. 

As  it  is  a  violation  of  good  morals  for  n  gentleman  to  be  seen 
in  company  with  ladies,  much  more  so  to  touch  the  hands  of 
the  fair,  the  faculty,  rather  than  lose  a  fee,  though  it  commonly 
amounts  only  to  fifty  tchen,  or  the  twentieth  part  of  six  shillings 
and  eight-pence,  have  contri\cd  an  ingenious  way  of  feeling  a 
lady's  pulse :  a  silken  cord,  being  made  tlist  to  the  wrist  of  the 
patient,  is  passed  through  a  hole  in  the  wainscot  into  another 
apiu-tment,  where  the  doctor,  applying  his  hand  to  the  cord, 
after  a  due  observance  of  solemn  mockery,  decides  upon  the 
case,  and  prescribes  accordingly.  About  court,  however,  a  par- 
ticular class  of  eunuchs  only  are  enti'usted  with  feeling  the  pulse 
of  the  ladies. 

The  crov/ded  manner  in  which  the  common  people  li\e  to- 
gether in  small  apartments  in  all  the  cities,  the  confined  streets, 
and,  above  all,  the  want  of  cleanliness  in  their  persons,  beget 
sometimes  contagious  diseases,  that  sweep  off  whole  tamjlles, 
similar  to  tlie  phgue.    In  Pekin,  incredible  numbers  perish  in 

Gg 


234  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

these  contagious  fevers,  which  more  frequently  happen  there 
tlian  in  other  parts  of  the  empire,  notwithstanding  the  moderate 
temperature  of  the  cUmatc.  In  the  southern  provinces  they  are 
neither  so  general  nor  so  fatal  as  might  be  expected,  o\\  ing,  I 
believe,  in  a  very  great  degree,  to  the  universal  custom  among 
the  mass  of  the  people  of  wearing  vegetable  substances  next  the 
skin,  which,  being  more  cleanly,  are  consequently  more  whole- 
some than  clothmg  made  from  animal  matter.  Thus,  linen 
and  cotton  art  preferable  to  silk  and  woollen  next  the  skin, 
which  should  be  worn  only  by  persons  of  the  most  cleanly  ha- 
bits. Another  antidote  to  the  ill  effects  that  might  be  expected 
from  want  of  cleanliness  in  their  houses  and  tlieir  persons,  is  the 
constant  ventilation  kept  up  in  the  former,  both  by  day  and 
night :  during  warm,  m  eather,  they  have  no  other  door  but  an 
open  matted  skreen  ;  and  the  windows  are  either  entirely  open 
or  of  thin  paper  only.  Notwithstanding  their  want  of  personal 
cleanliness,  they  are  little  troubled  vvith  leprous  or  cutaneous 
diseases,  and  they  pretend  to  be  totally  ignorant  of  gout,  stone, 
or  gra^'cl,  which  they  ascribe  to  the  preventive  effects  of  tea. 
In  flivour  of  this  opinion,  it  has  been  observed,  by  some  of  our 
physicians,  that,  since  the  introduction  of  tea  into  common  use, 
cutaneous  diseases  have  become  much  more  rare  in  Great  Bri- 
tain than  they  ^vere  before  that  period,  which  others  have 
ascribed,  perhaps  with  more  propriety,  to  the  general  use  of 
linen  ;  both,  hov\'ever,  may  have  been  instrumental  in  produc- 
ing the  happy  effect. 

The  ravages  of  the  small-pox,  wherever  they  make  their  ap- 
pearance, ai^e  attended  \^ith  a  general  calamit}-.  Of  these  they 
pretend  to  distinguish  above  forty  different  species,  to  each  of 
which  they  have  given  a  particular  name.  If  a  good  sort  breaks 
out,  inoculation  or,  more  properly  speaking,  infection  by  arti- 
ficial means,  becomes  general.  The  usual  way  of  communicat- 
ing the  disease  is  by  inserting  the  matter,  contained  in  a  little 
cotton  wool,  into  the  nostrils,  or  they  put  on  the  clothes  of,  or 
sleep  in  the  same  bed  with,  such  as  may  have  had  a  favourable 
kind  ;  but  they  never  introduce  the  miatter  by  making  any  in- 
cision hi  the  skin.  This  fatal  disease,  as  appears  from  the  re- 
cords of  the  empire,  was  unknown  before  the  tenth  century, 
when  it  was,  perhaps,  mtroduced  by  the  Maliomedansof  Arabia, 
who,  at  that  period,  cai'ried  on  a  considerable  commerce  wdth 
Canton  from  the  Persian  gulf,  and  who,  not  long  before,  had 
received  it  from  the  Saracens,  when  they  invaded  and  con- 


k 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA,  235 

quered  the  eastern  empire.  The  same  disease  was  likewise  one 
of  those  blessings  which  the  mad  crusades  confeiTcd  upon  Ku- 
rope  ;  since  which  time,  to  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
not  a  hope  had  been  held  out  of  its  extirpation  when,  happil}', 
the  invaluable  discovery  of  the  cow-pock,  or  rather  the  general 
application  of  that  discovery,  which  had  long  been  confined  to 
a  paiticular  district,  has  furnished  abundant  grounds  to  hope 
that  this  desirable  event  may  now  be  accomplished. 

In  some  of  the  provinces,  the  lower  orders  of  people  are 
said  to  be  dreadfully  afflicted  \\  ith  sore  eyes  ;  and  this  endemic 
complaint  has  been  supposed  to  proceed  from  the  copious  use 
of  rice;  a  conjecture,  appai'ently,  withoutany  kind  of  founda- 
tion, as  the  Hindus  and  other  Indian  nations,  ^^■hose  whole  diet 
consists  almost  exclusively  of  this  grain,  are  not  particularly 
subject  to  the  like  disease  ;  and  in  Egypt,  both  in  ancient  and 
modern  times,  the  opthalmia  and  blindness  a\  ere  much  more 
prevalent  tlian  in  China  ;  }et  rice  was  neither  cultivated  nor 
knomi  in  that  pail  of  Africa,  until  the  reign  of  tlie  caliphs, 
when  it  was  introduced  from  the  eastward.  The  disease  in 
China,  if  prevalent  there,  may  more  probably  be  o\vuig  to 
their  living  in  crowded  and  low  liabitations,  wherein  there  is  a 
peq^etual  smoke  from  the  fire,  from  tapers  made  of  sandal  wood, 
dust,  employed  for  marking  the  divisions  of  the  day,  from  the 
general  use  of  tobacco,  and  from  the  miasma  or  noxious  va- 
pours exhaling  from  the  dirt  and  ofilils  \\  hich  are  collected  in 
or  near  their  habitations.  The  organ  of  sight  may  also  be  relaxed 
and  rendered  more  susceptible  of  disease  by  the  constant  prac- 
tice of  washing  the  face,  even  in  the  middle  of  summer,  with 
wai'm  water.  I  must  observe  how  ever,  that,  in  the  course  of 
our  long  journey,  we  saw  very  few  blind  people,  or  persons 
afflicted  with  sore  eyes. 

It  will  readily  be  inferred,  from  the  short  view  which  has 
been  taken  of  the  state  of  society,  that  the  disease  occasioned 
by  an  unrestrained  and  promiscuous  intercourse  of  the  sexes 
cannot  be  very  common  in  China.  In  fact, it  is  scarcely  known ; 
and  the  treatment  of  it  is  so  little  understood,  in  the  few  cases 
Avhich  do  occur,  that  it  is  allowed  to  work  its  way  into  the 
S5stem,  and  is  then  considered  by  them  as  an  incurable  leprosy. 
On  arriving  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  province  of  Can- 
ton, one  of  our  conductors  had  imprudently  passed  the  night  in 
one  of  those  houses  where,  by  the  license  of  government,  fe- 
males are  allowed  to  prostitute  tlieir  persons  in  order  to  gain  a 


23&  rtAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

livelihood.  Here,  it  seems,  he  had  caught  the  infection,  and, 
after  suffering  a  considerable  degree  of  pain,  and  not  less  alarm, 
he  communicated  to  our  physician  the  symptoms  of  liis 
complaint ;  of  the  nature  and  cause  of  which  he  was  entirely 
ignorant.  He  was  a  man  of  forty  years,  of  a  Aigorous  consti- 
tution and  a  gay  cheerful  temper,  and  had  served  as  an  officer, 
in  se-veral  campaigns,  from  the  different  provinces  of  northern 
Tai'taiy  to  the  frontier  of  India  ;  yet,  such  a  disease  did  not 
consist  with  his  knowledge.  From  this  circumstance,  and 
many  others  of  a  similar  kind,  I  conclude  that,  although  it  may 
sometimes  make  its  appearance  in  the  capital,  and  even  here 
but  A^ery  rareh/,  it  has  originally,  and  no  long  time  ago,  found 
its  Vva}'  thither  through  the  ports  of  Chu-san,  Canton,  and 
Macao,  A\here  numbers  ofabandoned  woman  obtain  their  sub- 
sistence b}"  selling  their  favours  to  such  of  every  nation  as  ma}' 
be  disposed  to  purchase  them.  It  is,  in  fact,  sometimes  called, 
by  the  Chinese,  the  Canton-ulcer. 

No  male  physician  is  ever  allo\ved  to  prescribe  for  pregiiant 
women  ;  and  they  consider  it  so  great  a  breach  of  delicacy  for 
a  man  to  be  in  the  same  room  with  a  woman,  when  in  labour, 
that  Avhate-^er  difficulties  may  occur,  the  case  is  left  entirely  to 
the  woman  ^A'ho  attends  her.  There  is  not  a  man-midwife 
in  all  China  ;  and  }-et  the  want  of  them  does  not  appear  to  be 
injurious  to  that  population.  They  could  scarcely  believe  it 
possible  that,  in  Europe,  men  should  be  allowed  to  practise  a 
profession  which,  in  their  minds,  belonged  exclusively  to  the 
other  sex. 

As  a  due  kno\iledge  of  the  organization  of  the  human  bod}', 
of  the  poAA'crs  and  functions  of  the  several  parts,  is  attainable 
only  b}^  the  study  of  practical  anatomy,  a  study  that  would  shock 
the  weak  nerves  of  a  timid  Chinese,  it  will  not  be  expected 
that  their  surgical  operations  should  cither  be  numerous  or 
neatly  performed.  The  law,  indeed,  v/hich  I  have  had  occasion 
to  notice,  and  the  effects  produced  by  it,  in  t\\-o  or  three  instan- 
ces that  occurred  to  our  kno^vledge,  will  sufficiently  explain  the 
veiy  low  ebb  of  chirurgiccil  skill.  No  one  will  readily  under- 
take to  perform  the  most  simple  operation,  Avhere  not  only  all 
the  direct  consequences,  but  the  contingencies,  for  forty  days, 
must  lie  at  his  door.  They  sometimes  succeed  in  reducing  a 
dislocation,  and  in  setting  a  simple  fracture  ;  but,  in  difficult 
and  com]:)licate  cases,  the  patient  is  generally  abandoned  to 
chance.    Amputation  is  never  practised.    In  the  course  of  our 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  237 

whole  journey,  wherein  Me  passed  through  millions  of  people, 
I  do  not  recollect  to  have  seen  a  single  individual  that  had  sus- 
tained the  loss  of  a  limb,  and  but  ver}'  fe\v  in  any  way  maimed ; 
from  whence  I  conclude,  that  accidents  are  uncommon,  or  that 
serious  ones  usually  terminate  in  the  loss  of  life.  A  Chinese  is 
so  dreadfully  afraid  of  a  shaqD-cutting  instrument,  that  he  has 
not  even  submitted  to  the  operation  of  blood-letting ;  though 
the  principle  is  admitted,  as  they  are  in  the  practice  of  drawing 
blood  by  scarifying  the  skin,  and  applying  cupping- vessels.  In 
certain  complaints  they  burn  the  skin  with  small  pointed  irons, 
made  hot,  and  sometimes,  after  puncturing  the  pait  with  sil- 
ver needles,  diey  set  fire  to  the  lea^'es  of  a  species  of  Artimcsia 
upon  it,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Moxa  in  Japan  is  made  use 
of  to  cure,  and  even  prevent,  a  number  of  diseases,  but  especially 
the  gout  and  rheumatism,  the  former  of  which  is  said  to  be  un- 
known in  China.  Cleansing  the  eai's,  cutting  corns,  pulling  the 
joints  till  they  crack,  twitching  the  nose,  thumping  on  the  back, 
and  such  like  operations,  arc  annexed  to  the  shaving  profession, 
by  which  thousands  in  every  city  gain  a  li\'elihood.  In  short, 
the  whole  medical  skill  of  the  Chinese  may  be  summed  up  in 
the  words  of  the  ingenious  doctor  Gregor}-,  from  the  informa- 
tion he  obtained  from  his  friend  doctor  Gillan.  ' '  In  the  greatest, 
*'  most  ancient,  and  most  civilized  empire  on  the  foce  of  the 
"  earth,  an  empire  that  was  great,  populous,  and  highly  civi- 
"  lizcd  two  thousand  years  ago,  -when  diis  country  was  as  sa- 
"  vage  as  New  Zealand  is  at  present,  no  such  good  medical 
"  aid  can  be  obtained,  among  the  people  of  it,  as  a  smart 
"  boy  of  sixteen,  who  had  been  but  twelve  months  ap- 
''  prentice  to  a  good  and  well-employed  Edinburgh  sur- 
"  geon,  might  reasonably  be  expected  to  afford."  Ifj"  con- 
tinues the  doctor,  "  the  emperor  of  China,  the  absolute 
"  monai'ch  of  tliree  hundred  and  thirty-three  millions  of 
*'  people,  more  than  twice  as  many  as  all  Europe  contains, 
*'  A\ere  attacked  with  a  pleurisy,  or  got  his  leg  broken,  it 
"  would  be  happy  for  him  to  get  such  a  boy  for  his  first  phy- 
"  sician  and  serjeant-surgeon.  The  boy  (if  he  had  seen  his 
"  master's  practice  in  but  one  or  two  similar  cases)  would  cer- 
*'  tainly  kno\v  how  to  set  his  imperial  majesty's  leg,  and  would 
"  probabh"  cure  him  of  his  pleuris}-,  which  none  of  his  own 
"  subjects  could  do." 

Having  thus  given  a  slight  sketch  of  tiic  state  of  some 
of  the  leading  branches  in  science,  arts,  and  manufactures, 


238  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

omitting  purposely  that  of  agriculture,  which  will  be  no- 
ticed among  the  subjects  of  a  future  section,  I  think,  upon 
the  whole,  it  may  fairly  be  concluded  that  the  Chinese  have 
been  among  the  first  nations,  now  existing  in  the  world,  to 
arrive  at  a  certain  pitch  of  perfection,  where,  from  tlie  po- 
licy of  the  government,  or  some  other  cause,  they  have  re- 
mained stationary :  that  they  were  civilized,  fully  to  the  same 
extent  they  now  are,  more  than  two  thousand  years  ago,  at 
a  period  when  all  Europe  might  be  considered,  compara- 
tively, as  barbarous;  but  that  they  have  since  made  little 
progress  in  any  thing,  and  been  retrograde  in  many  things : 
that,  at  this  moment,  compared  with  Europe,  they  can  only 
be  said  to  be  great  in  tiifles,  whilst  they  are  really  trifling 
in  every  thing  that  is  great.  I  cannot,  however,  exactly 
subscribe  to  an  opinion  pronounced  on  them  by  a  learned 
and  elegant  writer,*  (who  was  well  versed  in  Oriental  lite- 
rature) as  being  rather  too  unqualified ;  but  he  was  less  ac- 
quainted with  their  character  than  that  of  any  other  Asiatic 
nation,  and  totally  ignorant  of  their  language.  "  Their 
*'  letters,"  says  he,  "  if  we  may  so  call  them,  are  merely 
"  the  symbols  of  ideas;  their  philosophy  seems  yet  in  so 
"rude  a  state,  as  hardly  to  deserve  the  appellation;  they 
*'  have  no  ancient  monuments  fi^om  which  their  origin  can 
*•  be  traced,  even  by  plausible  conjecture ;  their  sciences 
"  are  wholly  exotic ;  and  their  mechanical  arts  have  nothing 
*' in  them  characteristic  of  a  particular  family;  notliing 
"  which  any  set  of  men,  in  a  country  so  highly  favoured  by 
"  nature,  might  not  have  discovered  and  improved." 

*  Sir  William  Jones. 


CHAP.  VII. 


GOVERNMENT— LAWS— TENURES    OF   LAND   AND  TAXES— RE- 
VENUES—CIVIL    AND    MILITARY    RANKS    AND    ESTABLISH- 

ME  NTS. 


Opinions  on  which  the  Executive  Authority  is  grounded. — Principle  on  which  aa 
Emperor  of  China  seldom  appears  in  pubhc. — The  Ccnsoratc. — Public  De- 
partments.— Laws. — Scale  of  Crimes  and  Punishments. — Laws  regarding 
Homicide. — Curious  Law  Case. — No  Appeal  from  Civil  Suits. — Defects  in  the 
Executive  Government. — Duty  of  Obedience,  and  Power  of  personal  Correc- 
tion.— Russia  and  China  compared. — Fate  of  the  Prime  Minister  Ho-chang- 
tong. — Yearly  Calendar  and  Pekin  Gazette,  Engines  of  Government. — Free- 
dom of  the  Press. — Duration  of  the  Government  attempted  to  be  explained.— 
Precautions  of  Government  to  prevent  Insiu-rections. — Taxes  and  Revenues. — 
Civil  and  Military  Establishments. — Chinese  Army,  its  Numbers  and  Appoint- 
ments.— Conduct  of  the  Tartar  Government  at  the  Conquest. — Impolitic 
Change  of  late  Years,  and  the  probable  Consequences  of  it. 

THE  late  period  at  M-hich  the  nations  of  Europe  be- 
came first  acquainted  with  the  existence  even  of  that  vast  ex- 
tent of  country,  comprehended  under  the  name  of  China ;  the 
difficulties  of  access  to  any  part  of  it,  when  known ;  the  pecu- 
liar nature  of  the  language  a\ hich,  as  I  have  oideavoured  to 
prove,  lias  no  relation  \\ith  anj'-  other,  eidier  ancient  or  mo- 
dern ;  the  extreme  jealousy  of  the  government  towards  fo- 
reigners ;  and  the  contempt  in  which  they  v\ere  held  bv'  the 
lowest  of  the  people,  may  serve,  among  other  causes,  to  ac- 
count for  the  very  limited  and  imperfect  knowledge  we 
have  hitherto  obtained  of  the  real  histoiy  of  this  extraordina- 
ry empire :  for  their  records,  it  seems,  are  by  no  means  de- 
ficient. For  tvv^o  centuries,  at  least,  before  the  Christian  aera, 
down  to  the  present  time,  the  transactions  of  each  reign  are 
amply  detailed,  without  any  inten'uption.  They  have  even 
preserved  collections  of  copper  coins,  forming  a  regular  series 
of  die  different  emperors  that  have  filled  the  throne  of  China 
for  the  last  two  thousand  yeai-s.     Such  a  collection,  though 


240  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

not  quite  complete,  Sir  George  Staunton  brought  with  him  to 

England. 

Before  this  time,  when  China  consisted  of  a  number  of  petty 
states  or  principalities,  the  annals  of  the  country  are  said  to 
abound  \\'ith  recitals  of  wars,  and  battles,  and  bloodshed,  like 
those  of  every  other  pail  of  the  world.  But,  in  proportion  as 
the  number  of  these  distinct  kingdoms  diminished,  till  at  length 
they  ^^■cre  all  melted  and  amalgamated  into  one  great  empu'e, 
the  destruction  of  die  human  race,  by  human  means,  abated, 
and  the  government,  since  tliat  time,  has  been  less  interrupted 
by  foreign  war,  or  domestic  commotion,  than  any  other  that 
history  has  made  kno^\'n.  But,  \\hether  this  desirable  state  of 
public  tranquillity  may  have  been  brought  about  by  the  pecu- 
liar nature  of  the  government  being  adapted  to  the  genius  and 
habits  of  the  people,  which,  in  the  opinion  of  Aristotle,  is  the 
best  of  all  possible  governments,  or  rather  by  constraining  and 
subduing  the  genius  and  habits  of  the  people  to  the  views  and 
maxims  of  the  government,  is  a  question  that  may  admit  of 
some  dispute.  At  the  present  day,  however,  it  is  sufficiently 
evident,  that  the  heavy  hand  of  power  has  completely  overcome, 
and  moulded  to  its  o^vn  shape,  the  physical  character  of  the 
people,  and  that  their  moral  sentiments  and  actions  are  swayed 
by  the  opinions,  and  almost  under  the  entire  dominion,  of  the 
government. 

These  opinions,  to  which  it  owes  so  much  of  its  stability, 
are  grounded  on  a  principle  of  authority  which,  according  to 
maxims  industriously  inculcated,  and  now  completely  esta- 
blished in  the  minds  of  the  people,  is  considered  as  the  natural 
and  unalienable  right  of  the  parent  over  his  children  ;  an  autho- 
rity that  is  not  supposed  to  cease  at  any  gi\'en  period  of  life  or 
yeai's ;  but  to  extend  and  to  be  maintained  with,  undiminished 
and  uncontroled  swa}',  until  the  death  of  one  of  the  parties  dis- 
solves the  obligation.  The  emperor,  being  considered  as  the 
common  father  of  his  people,  is  accordingly  invested  with  the 
exercise  of  the  same  authority  over  them  as  the  father  of  a  fa- 
mily exerts  on  those  of  his  particular  household.  In  this  sense 
he  takes  the  title  of  the  Great  Father ;  and  by  his  being  thus 
placed  above  any  earthly  conti-ol,  he  is  supposed  to  be  also 
abo\e  carthh-  descent,  and  therefore,  as  a  natural  consequence, 
he  sometimes  styles  himself  the  sole  ruler  of  the  world  and  the 
Son  of  Heaven.'  But  that  no  inconsistency  might  appear  in 
the  grand  f:\bric  of  hlial  obedience,  the  emperor,  with  solemn 


k 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA*  341 

ceremony,  at  the  commencement  of  ever}'-  new  yeari  makes 
his  prostrations  before  the  empress  dowager,  and,  on  the  same 
day,  he  demands  a  repetition  of  the  same  homage  from  all  his 
great  officers  of  state.  Confonnably  to  tliis  system,  founded 
entirely  on  parental  authority,  the  governor  of  a  pro\ince  is 
considered  as  the  father  of  that  province ;  of  a  cit}-,  the  father 
of  that  cit}^ ;  and  the  head  of  any  office  or  department  is  sup- 
posed to  preside  over  it  with  the  same  authorit}-,  interest,  and 
affiiction,  as  the  father  of  a  family  superintends  and  manages 
the  concerns  of  domestic  life. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  lamented  that  a  sj'stem  of  go^'ernment,  so 
plausible  in  theory,  should  be  liable  to  so  many  abuses  in  prac- 
tice ;  and  that  this  fatherly  care  and  affi^ction  in  the  go\cmors, 
and  filial  duty  and  reverence  in  tlie  goveiTied,  ^\'ould,  with  much 
more  propriety  be  expressed  by  tlie  terms  of  tyranny,  oppres- 
sion, and  injustice  in  the  one,  and  by  fear,  deceit,  and  disobe- 
dience in  the  other. 

The  first  grand  maxim  on  which  the  emperor  acts  is,  seldom 
to  appciU'  before  the  public ;  a  maxim  whose  origin  would  be 
difficultly  traced  to  any  principle  of  affection  or  solicitude  for 
his  children ;  much  more  easily  explained  as  the  offispring  of 
suspicion.  The  tyrant,  who  may  be  conscious  of  having  com- 
mitted, or  assented  to,  acts  of  cruelty  and  oppression,  must  feel 
a  reluctance  to  mix  with  those  v\ho  ma}' have  smiirted  under 
the  lash  of  his  power,  naturally  concluding  that  some  secret 
hand  may  be  led,  by  a  single  blo\\%  to  avenge  his  own  \\Tongs, 
or  tliose  of  his  fellow-subjects.  The  principle,  however,  upon 
which  the  emperor  of  China  seldom  shews  himself  in  public, 
and  then  only  in  the  height  of  splendor  imd  magnificence, 
seems  to  be  established  on  a  policy  of  a  very  diffiirent  kind 
from  that  of  self-preser\'ation.  A  po\\'er  that  acts  in  secret, 
and  whose  influence  is  felt  near  and  remote  at  the  same  mo- 
ment, makes  a  stronger  impression  on  the  mind,  and  is  re- 
garded ^vith  more  dread  and  a\\  ful  respect,  than  if  the  agent 
w ere  ahvays  visible,  and  familiar  to  the  eye  of  e\cry  one.  "The 
priests  of  the  Eleusinian  mysteries  were  well  acquainted  \^•ith 
this  feature  of  the  human  character,  which  is  stronger  in  pro- 
portion as  the  reasoning  faculties  are  less  improAcd,  and  which 
required  the  enlightened  mind  of  a  Socrates  to  be  able  to  dis- 
regard die  tcn-or  they  insjVired  among  tiie  vulgar.  Thus  also 
Deioccs,  as  Hercdotus  inibrms  us,  when  once  established  as 
king  in  Kcbatana,  would  sufler  none  of  the  people,  for  whom 

H  h 


242  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.' 

before  he  was  the  common  advocate,  to  be  now  admitted  to  his 
presence ;  conckiding  that  all  tliose  AAho  \\ere  debarred  from 
seeing  him  ^^  ould  easily  be  persuaded  that  his  nature,  by  be- 
ing created  king,  ^\■as  transformed  into  something  much  supe- 
rior to  theirs.  A  frequent  access,  indeed,  to  men  of  rank  and 
po\\-er  and  talents,  a  familiar  and  unrestrained  intercourse  with 
them,  and  a  daily  observance  of  their  ordinary  actions  and  en- 
gagements in  the  concerns  of  life,  have  a  tendency  very  much 
to  diminish  that  re^•erence  and  respect  ^vhich  public  opinion 
had  been  willing  to  cillo\\-  them.  It  was  justly  observed,  by 
the  great  Conde,  that  no  man  is  a  hero  to  his  valet-dc-chambre. 

Considerations  of  this  kind,  rather  than  any  dread  of  his 
subjects,  may  probably  have  suggested  the  custom  which 
prohibits  an  emperor  of  China  from  making  his  person  too 
familiar  to  the  multitude,  and  which  requires  that  he  should 
exhibit  himself  only  on  particular  occasions,  arrayed  in  pomp 
and  mag-nificence,  and  at  the  head  of  his  whole  court,  consist- 
ing of  an  assemblage  of  many  thousand  officers  of  state,  the 
agents  of  his  will,  all  ready,  at  the  word  of  command,  to  pro- 
strate themseh'cs  at  his  feet. 

The  povrer  of  the  sovereign  is  absolute :  but  the  patriarchal 
system,  making  it  a  point  of  indispensable  duty  for  a  son  to 
bring  oftbrings  to  the  spirit  of  his  deceased  parent  in  the  most 
public  manner,  operates  as  some  check  upon  tiie  exercise  of 
this  power.  B}'  this  ci\"il  institution,  the  duties  of  wliich  are 
obser\Td  with  more  than  a  religious  strictness,  he  is  constantly 
put  in  mind  that  the  memory  of  his  pri\'ate  conduct,  as  well 
as  of  his  public  acts,  Avill  long  surviAC  his  natural  life ;  that  his 
name  will,  at  certain  times  in  every  }'ear,  be  pronounced  with 
a  kind  of  sacred  and  re\^erential  aVie,  from  one  extremity  of 
the  extensiA'c  empire  to  the  other,  provided  he  may  have  filled 
his  station  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  subjects ;  and  that,  on  the 
contrary,  public  execrations  will  rescue  from  oblivion  any  ar- 
bitraiy  act  of  injustice  and  oppression,  of  which  he  may  have 
been  guilty.  It  may  also  operate  as  a  motive  for  being  nice 
and  circumspect  in  the  nomination  of  a  successor,  which  the 
law  has  left  entirely  to  his  choice. 

The  consideration,  however,  of  posthumous  fame  would 
operate  only  as  a  slender  restraint  on  the  caprices  of  a  t}'rant, 
as  the  history  of  this,  as  well  as  other  countries,  furnishes 
abundant  examples.  It  has,  therefore,  been  thought  necessary 
to  add  another,  and  perhaps  a  more  effectual,  check,  to  curb 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  243 

any  disposition  to  licentiousness  or  tyranny  that  might  lu-ise 
in  the  breast  of  the  monaixh.  'I'his  is  the  appointment  of  the 
censorate,  an  office  filled  by  two  persons,  who  hiwQ  the  po^\  er 
of  remonstrating  freely  agxiinst  any  illegal  or  unconstitutional 
act  about  to  be  committed  or  sanctioned  by  the  emperor. 
And  although  it  may  well  be  supposed  that  these  men  are 
extremely  cautious  in  the  exercise  of  the  power  delegated  to 
them,  by  virtue  of  their  office,  and  in  the  discharge  of  this  dis- 
agreeable pait  of  dicir  duty,  }et  the}^  have  another  task  to 
perform,  on  A\hich  their  own  posthumous  fame  is  not  less 
involved  than  that  of  their  master,  and  in  the  execution  of 
which  they  run  less  risk  of  giving  offence.  They  are  the 
historiogi'aphers  of  the  empire  ;  or,  more  correctly  speaking, 
the  biographers  of  the  emperor.  Their  employment,  in  this 
capacity,  consists  chief!}'  in  collecting  the  sentiments  of  the 
monai-ch,  in  recording  his  speeches  and  memorable  sayings, 
and  in  noting  down  tlie  most  prominent  of  his  private  actions, 
and  the  remarkable  occurrences  of  his  reign.  These  records 
are  lodged  in  a  large  chest,  which  is  kept  in  diat  part  of  the 
palace  where  the  tribunals  of  government  are  held,  and  which 
is  supposed  not  to  be  opened  until  the  decease  of  the  emperor  ; 
and,  if  any  thing  material  to  the  injury  of  his  character  and 
reputation  is  found  to  be  recorded,  the  publication  of  it  is  de- 
layed, out  of  delicacy  to  his  famih',  till  two  or  three  genera- 
tions have  passed  away,  and  sometimes  till  the  expiration  of 
the  dynasty ;  by  this  indulgence  they  pretend  that  a  more 
faithful  relation  is  likely  to  be  obtained,  in  which  neither  fear 
nor  flattery  could  ha\'e  operated  to  disguise  the  truth. 

An  institution  so  remiu'kable  and  singular  in  its  kind,  in  an 
arbitrary  government,  could  not  fail  to  carry  with  it  a  \'ery 
powerful  influence  upon  the  decisions  of  die  monarch,  and  to 
make  him  solicitous  to  act,  on  all  occasions,  in  such  a  manner 
as  would  be  most  likel}-  to  secure  a  good  name,  and  to  trans- 
mit his  chai'acter  unsullied  and  sacred  to  posterity.  The  re- 
cords of  their  history  are  said  to  mention  a  stor}^  of  an  empe- 
ror, of  the  d}'nasty  or  family  of  Tang,  who,  from  a  conscious- 
ness of  having,  in  several  instances,  transgressed  the  bounds 
of  his  authority,  was  determined  to  take  a  peep  into  the  his- 
torical chest,  where  he  knew  he  should  find  all  his  actions  re- 
corded. Having  made  use  of  a  A'^ariety  of  arguments,  in  order 
to  convince  die  two  censors  tliat  there  could  be  nothin,g  im- 
proper in  the  step  he  was  about  to  take,  as,  among  other  things, 


244  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

he  assured  them,  he  ^^as  actuated  with  the  desire  only  of  be- 
ing made  acquainted  with  his  greatest  faults,  as  the  first  step  to 
amendment,  one  of  these  gentlemen  is  said  to  have  answered 
him  very  nobly,  totliis  effect:  "  It  is  true,  your  majesty  has 
"  committed  many  errors;  and  it  has  been  the  painful  duty 
*'  of  our  employment  to  take  notice  of  them ;  a  duty,"  conti- 
nued he,  "  which  obliges  us  to  inform  posterity  of  the  con- 
*'  versation  which  your  majesty  has  this  day,  very  improperly, 
*'  held  with  us."     ■ 

To  assist  the  emperor  in  the  weighty  affairs  of  state,  and 
in  tlie  arduous  task  of  governing  an  empire  of  so  great  an  ex- 
tent, and  such  immense  population,  the  constitution  has  as- 
signed him  two  councils ;  one  ordinal*}-,  the  other  extraordi- 
nar}- :  the  ordinaay  council  is  composed  of  his  principal  minis- 
ters, under  the  name  of  callao,  of  which  there  are  six.  The 
extraordinary  council  consists  entirely  of  princes  of  the  blood. 

For  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  government  there 
are  six  boards  or  departments,  consisting  of, 

1.  The  court  of  appointments  to  vacancies  in  tlie  offices  of 
government ;  being  composed  of  the  minister  and  learned 
men,  qualified  to  judge  of  the  merits  of  candidates. 

2.  The  court  of  finance. 

3.  The  court  of  ceremonies,  presiding  over  the  direction 
of  ancient  customs,  and  treating  with  foreign  embas- 
sadors. 

4.  The  court  for  regulating  military  affairs, 

5.  The  tribunals  of  justice, 

6.  The  board  of  works. 

These  public  functionaries  resolve  upon,  recommend,  and 
report  to  the  emperor,  all  matters  belonging  to  their  separate 
jurisdictions,  who,  \Aith  the  advice  of  his  ordinary,  and,  if 
considered  to  be  necessary,  of  his  extraordinar}'-  council,  af- 
firms, amends,  or  rejects  their  decrees.  For  this  puq^ose, 
the  late  emperor  never  omitted  to  give  regular  audience  in 
the  great  hall  of  the  palace  every  morning  at  the  hours  of  four 
or  li^e  o'clock.  Subordinate  to  these  supreme  courts,  held 
in  the  capital,  are  others,  of  similar  construction,  established 
in  the  different  provinces  and  great  cities  of  the  empire,  each 
of  whicli  coiTesponds  with  his  principal  in  Pekin. 

It  would  faj*  exceed  the  limits  of  the  present  work,.  Were  I 
to  ^nter  into  a  detail  of  their  code  of  laws,  which,  indeed,  I  am 
pot  sufficiently  prepiired  to  do.     They  are  published  for  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  245 

use  of  the  subject,  in  the  plainest  characters  that  the  language 
will  admit,  making  sixteen  small  volinnes ;  a  copy  of  v.hicli  is 
now  in  England :  and  I  am  encouraged  to  hope  that  this  com- 
pendium oF  the  laws  of  China  may,  ere  long,  appear  in  an  able 
and  faithful  English  translation,  which  Mill  explain,  more  than 
all  the  volumes  that  have  hitherto  been  ^VTitten  on  the  subject 
of  China,  in  what  manner  a  mass  of  people  (more  than  the 
double  of  that  which  is  found  in  all  Europe ! )  has  been  kept 
together,  through  so  many  ages,  in  one  bond  of  union.  Tliis 
work,*-  on  the  laws  of  China,  for  perspicuity  and  method,  may 
justly  be  compiu-ed  with  Blackstone's  Commentiiries  on  the 
Laws  of  England.  It  not  only  contains  the  la\\  s  arranged 
under  tlieir  respective  heads,  but  to  every  law  is  added  a  short 
commentary  and  a  case. 

I  have  been  assured,  on  the  best  authorit}-,  that  the  laws  of 
China  define,  in  the  most  distinct  and  perspicuous  manner, 
iilmost  every  shade  of  criminal  offences,  and  the  punishment 
awarded  to  each  crime  :  that  the  greatest  caie  appears  to  liave 
been  taken  in  constructing  this  scale  of  crimes  and  punish- 
ments ;  tliat  they  iu^e  very  far  from  being  sanguinary ;  and 
tliat,  if  the  practice  was  equal  to  the  theory,  few  nations  could 
boast  of  a  more  mild,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  more  efficacious, 
dispensation  of  justice.  Of  all  the  despotic  governments  ex- 
isting, there  is  certainly  none  wherc  the  life  of  man  is  held  so 
sacred  as  in  the  laws  of  China.  A  murder  is  never  overlook- 
ed, except  in  the  horrid  practice  of  exposing  infants ;  nor 
dares  the  emperor  himself,  all-po\\  erful  as  he  is,  take  away  the 
life  of  the  meanest  subject,  \\  jthout  the  formality  at  least  of  a 
regular  process,  though,  as  will  be  seen  in  tlie  case  of  the  late 
prime  minister  of  Kien-Long,  the  cliance  of  escaping  must  be 
very  slender,  where  he  hinuself  becomes  the  accuser.  So  te- 
naciously, howev  er,  do  they  adhere  to  that  solemn  declaration 
of  God,  delivered  to  Noah — "  At  the  hand  of  ever}'  man's 
"  brother  will  I  require  die  life  of  man.  Whoso  sheddeth 
*'  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood  be  shed," — that  the 
good  intention  is  oftentimes  defeated  by  requiring,  as  I  have 
elsewhere  observed,  from  the  person  last  seen  n  ith  one  u  lio 
may  have  received  a  mortal  ^\■ound,  or  who  may  hnvG.  died 
suddenly,  a  circumstantial  account,  supported  by  evidence, 
in  vvliat  manner  his  death  was  occasioned. 

*  It  is  called  the  Ta-tchin  I.eu-Lee,  the  laws  and  institutes  under  the  dynasty 
Tn-tchinj  which  is  the  name  assumed  by  the  present  family  on  the  throne. 


246  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

In  attempting  to  proportion  punishments  to  the  degrees  of 
crimes,  instead  of  awarding  the  same  punishment  for  stealing 
a  loaf  of  bread  and  taking  away  the  Ufe  of  a  man,  the  Chinese 
legislators,  according  to  our  notions,  seem  to  have  made  too 
little  distinction  between  actual  manslaughter  and  premedita- 
ted murder.  To  constitute  the  crime,  it  is  not  necessary  to 
prove  the  intention  or  malice  aforethought ;  for  though  want 
of  intention  palliates  the  offence,  and  consequently  mitigates 
the  punishment,  yet  it  never  entirely  excuses  the  offender.  If 
a  man  should  kill  another  by  an  unforeseen  and  unavoidable 
accident,  his  life  is  forfeited  by  the  law  ;  and  however  favour- 
able the  circumstances  may  appear  in  behalf  of  the  criminal, 
the  emperor  alone  is  invested  with  the  power  of  remitting  the 
sentence;  a  power  which  he  very  rarely,  if  ever,  exercises  to 
the  extent  of  a  full  pardon,  but,  on  many  occasions,  to  a  miti- 
gation of  the  punishment  awarded  by  law.  Strictly  speaking, 
no  sentence  of  death  can  be  canied  into  execution,  until  it 
has  been  ratified  by  the  monaixh.  Yet,  in  state  crimes,  or 
in  acts  of  great  atrocity,  the  vicero}^  of  a  province  sometimes 
takes  upon  himself  to  order  summary  punishment ;  and  prompt 
execution  has  been  inflicted  on  foreign  criminals  at  Canton, 
when  guilty  only  of  homicide.  Thus,  about  the  beginning 
of  the  last  century,  a  man  belonging  to  captain  Shelvocke 
had  the  misfortune  to  kill  a  Chinese  on  the  ri\^er.  The  corpse 
was  kiid  before  the  door  of  the  English  factor}^,  and  the  first 
person  that  came  out,  who  happened  to  be  one  of  the  super- 
cargoes, Mas  seized,  and  carried  as  a  prisoner  into  the  city  ; 
nor^ Mould  they  consent  to  his  release  till  the  criminal  was 
gi\-cn  up,  whom,  after  a  short  enquiry,  they  strangled.  The 
recent  afiiiir  of  the  unfortunate  gunner  is  ^vell  known.  An 
affray  happened  in  Macaoafewyeai's  ago,  in  which  a  Chinese 
Avas"  killed  by  the  Portuguese.  A  peremptory  demand  was 
made  for  one'  of  the  latter,  to  expiate  the  death  of  the  former. 
The  government  of  this  place,  either  unable  or  unwilling  to 
fix  on  the  delinquent,  proposed  terms  of  compromise,  which 
-were  rejected,  and  force  was  threatened  to  be  used.  There 
happened  to  be  a  merchant  at  Manilla  then  residing  at  Macao, 
a  man  of  excellent  character,  who  had  long  carried  on  a  com- 
mcrce  bet\vecii  the  two  ports.     This  unfortunate  man  wasi  se- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  247 

lected  to  be  the  innocent  A'ictim  to  appease  the  rigour  of  Chi- 
nese justice,  and  he  was  immediately  stnuigled.*" 

The  process  of  every  trial  for  criminal  offences,  of  which 
the  punishment  is  capital,  must  be  transmitted  to  Pekin,  and 
submitted  to  the  impartial  eye  of  the  supreme  tiibunal  of  jus- 
tice, which  affirms  or  alters,  according  to  the  natuie  ot  die 
case.  And  where  any  peculiar  circumstances  appear  in  favour 
of  the  accused,  an  order  for  revising  the  sentence  is  recommen- 
ded to  the  emperor,  who,  in  such  cases,  either  amends  it  him- 
self, or  directs  tlie  proceedings  to  be  returned  to  the  provin- 
cial court,  with  the  sentence  of  tlie  supreme  tribunal  on  the 
case.  The  proceedings  are  then  revised  ;  and  if  the  circum- 
stances ai'c  found  to  a})ply  to  the  suggestions  of  the  liigh  court, 
they  alter  or  modify  their  former  sentence  accordingly.! 

•  Various  accidents  having  happened  at  different  times  to  Chinese  sub- 
jects in  the  port  of  Canton,  which  have  generally  led  to  disagreeable  dis- 
cussions with  the  Chinese  government,  the  supercargoes  of  the  East  India 
company  thought  proper,  on  a  late  occasion  of  a  person  being  Avoundcd 
by  a  shot  from  a  British  ship  of  war,  to  make  application  for  an  extract 
from  the  criminal  code  of  laws  relating  to  homicide,  in  order  to  have  the 
same  translated  into  English,  and  made  public.  This  extract  consisted 
of  the  following  articles : 

1.  A  man  who  kills  another  on  the  supposition  of  theft,  shall  be  strangled, 
according  to  the  law  of  homicide  committed  in  an  aflVay. 

2.  A  man  who  fires  at  another  with  a  musquct,  and  kills  him  thereby, 
shall  be  beheaxled,  as  in  cases  of  wilful  murder.  If  the  sufferer  be 
wounded,  but  not  mortally,  the  offender  shall  be  sent  into  exile. 

3.  A  man  who  puts  to  death  a  criminal  who  had  been  apprehended,  and 
made  no  resistance,  shall  be  strangled,  according  to  the  law  against 
homicide  committed  in  an  affray. 

4.  A  man  who  falsely  accuses  an  innocent  person  of  theft  (in  cases  of 
greatest  criminality)  is  guilty  of  a  capital  offence  ;  in  all  other  cases 
the  offenders,  whether  principals  or  accessories,  shall  be  sent  into  exile. 

5.  A  man  who  wounds  another  unintentionally  shall  be  tried  according 
to  the  law  respecting  blows  given  in  an  affray,  and  the  punishment 
rendered  move  or  less  severe,  according  to  the  degree  of  injury  sus- 
tained. 

6.  A  man  who,  intoxicated  with  liquor,  commits  outrages  against  the 
laws,  shall  be  exiled  to  a  desert  country,  ihere  to  remain  in  a  state  oi' 
servitude. 

In  this  clear  and  decisive  manner  are  punishments  awarded  for  every 
rlabs  of  crimes  committed  hi  society;  and  it  was  communicated  to  the 
I'jigliih  factory  from  the  viceroy,  that  on  no  consideration  was  it  left  iu 
the  breast  of  the  judge  to  extentiate  or  to  exaggerate  the  sentence,  what- 
ever might  be  the  rank,  character,  or  station  of  tiie  dehiiquent. 

t  The  lollowing  law-case,  which  is  literally  translated  from  a  volume 
«>f  reports  of  trials,  published  in  the  present  reign  of  Kia-Kingr,  and  witit 


248  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

As,  In  some  of  the  Greciim  states,  and  other  nations  of  mo- 
dem times,  the  punishment  of  treason  ^vas  extended  to  the  re- 
lations of  the  eriminal,  so  in  Cliina,  e^'en  to  the  ninth  genera- 
tion, a  traitor's  blood  is  supposed  to  be  tainted,  though  they 

which  I  have  been  favoured  by  a  Friend  (who  was  himself  the  translator), 
will  serve  to  shew  the  mode  of  proceeding  in  criminal  matters  of  the  pix)- 
vincial  courts  of  judicature.  The  circumstances  of  the  transaction  appear 
to  have  been  enquired  into  fairly  and  impartially,  and  no  pains  spared  to 
ascertJun  the  exact  degree  of  criminality.  Being  given  to  me  about  the 
time  when  the  trial  took  place  of  Smith,  for  the  murder  of  the  supposed 
Hammersmith  ghost,  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  remarkable  coin- 
cidence of  the  two  cases,  and  with  the  almost  identical  defence  set  up  by 
the  Chinese  and  the  English  prisoners ;  and  on  that  account  it  excited 
more  interest  than  perhaps  it  might  otherwise  be  considered  to  be  entitled 
to. 

Translation  of  an  Extract  from  a  Collection  of  Chinese  Law  Pefiorts, 
being  the  Jrial,  Afijieal^  a?id  Sentence^iipon  ah  Indictment  for  Ho7nicide 
by  Gun-firing. 

At  a  criminal  court  held  in  the  province  of  Fo-kien,  upon  an  indictment 
for  shooting  and  mortally  wounding  a  relation  ;  setting  forth,  that  She- 
fo-pao,  native  of  the  city  of  Fon-gan-sien,  did  fire  a  gun,  and  by  mis- 
chance, wound  Vang-yung-man,  so  that  he  died  thereof. 

The  case  was  originally  reported,  as  follows,  by  Vu-se-king,  sub-vice- 
roy of  the  province  of  Fo-kien  : 

The  accused  She-fo-pao,  and  the  deceased  Vang-yung-man,  were  of 
different  families,  but  connected  by  marriage,  were  well  known  to  each 
other,  and  there  had  always  been  a  good  understanding  between  them. 

In  the  course  of  the  first  moon,  of  the  25th  year  of  Kien-long,  Shc-fo- 
pao  cultivated  a  farm  on  the  b^o^v  of  a  hill  belonging  to  Chin-se-kien,  and 
which  lay  in  the  vicinity  of  certain  lands  cultivated  by  \'^ang-yung'man 
and  Vang-ky-hao,  inasmuch  as  that  the  fields  of  Vang-yung-man  lay  on 
the  left  of  those  of  She-fo-pao,  which  were  in  the  center,  and  those  of 
Vang-ky-hao  on  the  right  side  of  the  declivity  of  the  hill.  It  occurred 
that  on  the  7th  day  of  the  9th  moon  of  the  same  year,  She-fo-pao  observ- 
ing the  corn  in  his  fields  to  be  newly  ripe,  was  apprehensive  that  thieves 
might  find  an  opportunity  of  stealing  the  grain  ;  and  being  aware,  at  the 
same  time,  of  the  danger  which  existed  on  those  hills  from  wolves  and 
tigers,  armed  himself  with  a  musquet,  and  went  that  night  alone  to  the 
spot,  in  order  to  watch  the  com,  and  seated  himself  in  a  convenient  place 
on  the  side  of  the  hill.  It  happened  that  Vang-ky-hao  went  that  day  to 
the  house  of  Vang-yung-man,  in  order  that  they  might  go  together  t«o 
keep  watch  over  the  corn  in  their  respective  fields.  However  V^ang- 
yung-tong,  the  elder  brother  of  Vang-yung-man,  conceiving  it  to  be  yet 
early,  detained  them  to  drink  tea  and  smoke  tobacco  until  the  second 
watch  *  of  the  night,  when  they  parted  from  him,  and  proceeded  on  their 
expedition,  provided  witii  large  sticks  for  defence. 

'  Eacb  watch  is  two  hours,  and  the  second  watch  begins  at  eleven  o'clock. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  249 

usually  satisfy  the  law  by  including  only  the  nearest  male  re^ 
lations,  then  living,  in  the  guilt  of  the  culprit,  and  by  mitigating 
their  punishment  to  that  of  exile.  Nothing  can  be  more  un, 
just  and  absurd,  however  politic,  than  such  a  law ;  absurd, 

Vang-ky-hao  having  occasion  to  stop  a  short  time  upon  the  road,  tlic 
other,  Vang-yung-man,  went  on  before,  until  he  reached  the  boundary  of 
the  fields  watched  by  She-fo-pao. 

She-fo-pao,  on  hearing  a  rustling  noise  among  the  corn,  and  perceiving 
the  shadow  of  a  person  through  the  obscurity  of  the  night,  immediately 
hailed  him  ;  but  the  wind  blowing  very  fresh,  he  did  not  hear  any  reply. 
She-fo-pao  then  took  alarm,  on  the  suspicion  that  the  sound  proceeded 
from  thieves,  or  else  from  wild  beasts,  and  lighting  the  match-lock,  which 
he  held  in  his  hand,  fired  it  off,  in  oixier  to  repel  the  invaders,  whoever 
they  might  be. 

Vang-yung-man  was  wounded  by  the  shot  in  the  head,  cheeks,  neck, 
and  shoulder,  and  instantly  fell  to  the  ground.  Vang-ky-hao  healing  the 
explosion,  hastened  forward,  and  called  aloud  to  know  who  had  fired  the 
gun.  The  other  heard  the  voice,  and  going  to  the  place  from  whence  it 
proceeded,  then  learned  whom  he  had  wounded  by  the  mischance.  The 
wounds  of  Vang-yung-man  being  mortal,  he  expired  after  a  very  short 
interval  of  time  had  elapsed. 

She-fo-pao,  being  repeatedly  examined  by  the  magistrate,  acknow- 
ledged the  fact  without  reserve;  and,  upon  the  strictest  investigation  and 
enquiry  being  entered  upon,  deposed,  That  it  was  really  during  the  ob- 
scurity of  the  night  that  he  had  ascended  the  hill,  in  order  to  M'atch  the 
com,  and  on  hearing  a  noise  to  proceed  from  a  quarter  of  the  field  that 
was  extremely  dark,  and  in  which  the  shadow  of  some  person  was  dis- 
cernablc,  he  had  called  out,  but  received  no  answer: — That  the  suspicion 
then  arose  in  his  mind,  that  they  were  either  thieves  or  wild  beasts,  and 
alarmed  him  for  the  security  of  his  person,  being  then  entirely  alone  ;  he 
therefore  fired  the  gun  to  repel  the  danger,  and  wounded  Vang-yung-man 
by  mischance,  so  that  he  afterwards  died. 

That  he,  the  deponent,  was  not  actuated  by  any  other  motive  or  inten? 
tion  on  this  occasion,  nor  desirous  of  causing  the  death  of  an  individual. 
The  relations  of  the  deceased  being  then  examined,  gave  a  corresponding 
evidence,  and  raised  no  doubts  in  other  respects  to  the  truth  of  the  above 
deposition.  In  consideration,  therefore,  hereof  it  appears  that,  although 
She-fo-pao  is  guilty  of  homicide  by  gun-firing,  yet,  since  he  was  upon  the 
watch  over  the  fields,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  perceived  the  sha- 
dow of  a  man,  whom  he  hailed,  and  from  whom  he  received  no  answer, 
and  had  in  consequence  apprehended  the  approach  of  thieves  or  wild 
beasts,  to  prevent  which  he  fired  the  gun  that  occasioned  the  wounds 
whereof  the  man  is  now  dead — it  follows,  that  there  did  not  exist  any 
premeditated  intentiop  of  murder.— rThe  act  of  which  She-fo-pao  stands 
convicted  may  be,  therefore,  ranked  under  the  article  of  homicide  com- 
mitted in  an  affray,  and  the  sentence  accordingly  is,  to  be  strangled  upon 
the  next  ensuing  general  execution  or  gaol  delivery. 

I  i 


250  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

because  it  considers  a  non-entity  capable  of  committing  a 
crime ;  and  unjust,  because  it  punishes  an  innocent  person. 
The  lawgiver  of  Israel,  in  order  to  intimidate  his  stiff-qecked 
and  rebellious  subjects,  foimdit  expedient  to  threaten  tlie  visi- 

The  above  report  being  transmitted  to  the  supreme  criminal  tribunal 
at  Pekin, — They  rejoin, 

That,  on  invcstijjation  of  the  laws,  we  find  it  ordained,  that  homicide 
by  gun-firing  shall  receive  a  sentence  conformable  to  the  law  against  in- 
tentional murder ;  and  that  the  law  against  intentional  murder  gives  ^ 
sentence  of  decapitation  on  the  next  ensuing  public  execution,  or  gaol 
delivery.  It  is  likewise  found  to  be  ordained  by  law,  that  whoever  shall 
imwarily  draw  a  bow,  and  shoot  an  arrow  towards  fields  or  tenementSi 
so  that  any  person  unperceived  therein  shall  be  wounded,  and  die  there- 
from, the  offender  shall  receive  a  hundred  blows  with  the  bamboo,  and 
be  banished  to  the  distance  of  three  thousand  lys  (near  a  thousand  miles). 

In  the  case  now  before  us,  She-fo-pao,  being  armed  with  a  musquet, 
goes  to  watch  the  corn,  hears  a  noise  in  the  fields,  and  calls  aloud;  but,  ret 
cciving  no  answer,  suspects  it  to  proceed  from  thieves  or  wild  beasts,  an4 
fires  tiie  gun,  by  which  Vang-yung-man  was  wounded,  and  is  now  dead. 
But  in  the  deposition  given  in  by  the  defendant,  the  declaration  that  he 
saw  the  shadow  of  some  person  does  not  accord  with  tiie  suspicion  after- 
wards expressed,  that  the  noise  arose  from  wild  beasts.  If,  in  truth,  he 
distinguished  traces  of  a  man,  at  the  time  of  his  calling  out,  notwithstand- 
ing that  the  violence  of  the  wind  prevented  his  bearing  the  reply,  She-fo- 
pao  had  ocular  proof  of  the  reality  of  the  person  from  the  shadow  he  had 
seen.  Continuing  our  investigation,  we  have  farther  to  notice,  that  when 
She-fo-pao  took  his  station,  in  order  to  guard  the  middle  ground,  Vang- 
vung-man  was  engaged  in  watching  his  fields  in  a  similar  manner,  and 
would  have  occasion  to  go  near  the  limits  of  the  middle  ground  in  his  way 
to  his  own  farm,  and  which  could  not  be  far  removed  from  the  path  lead- 
ing to  the  middle  ground  ;  on  which  account  it  behoved  She-fo-pao  to 
hail  the  person  repeatedly,  previous  to  the  firing  of  the  gun,  whose  effect 
would  be  instantaneous,  and  occasion  the  death  of  the  unknown  person 
from  whom  the  sound  proceeded. 

She-fo-pao  not  having  repeatedly  hailed  the  person  from  whom  the 
noise  had  arisen  to  disturb  him,  and  proceeding  to  the  last  extremity 
upon  the  first  impulse  or  alarm,  are  grounds  for  suspecting  that  there 
exists  a  fallacy  and  disguise  in  the  testimony  given  in  this  affair  ;  in  which 
case,  a  sentence  conformable  to  the  law  against  homicide,  committed  in 
an  atTray,  would  aftbrd  a  punishment  unequal  and  inadequate  to  the  pos- 
sible aggravation  of  the  offence. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  would  appear,  in  confirmation  of  his  statement, 
that  these  fields  were,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  neighbouring  vil- 
lages, understood  to  be  guarded  at  that  time  in  the  manner  aforesaid,  and 
that  circumstance  proving  true,  the  accident  that  followed  might  still  be 
Considered  solely  as  the  cfiect  of  apprehension  of  wild  beasts  by  night, 
inducing  the  accused  to  fire  towards  fields  or  tenements,  so  as  to  wound 
^  man  mortally  by  tlie  nuschancc. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  251 

tation  of  God  on  the  children,  for  the  sins  of  the  fathers,  unto 
the  third  and  Iburth  generation ;  a  sentiment,  ho\vc^'cr,  w  hich, 
it  would  seem,  lapse  of  time  had  rendered  less  expedient : 
for  the  prophet  Ezckiel,  who,  on  this  subject,  had  more  clc- 

Should  a  strict  examination  admit  of  this  interpretation  of  the  ofTenre, 
the  sentence  may  be  awarded  according  to  the  law,  immediately  applica- 
ble to  the  subject,  and  not  in  conformity  with  the  law  against  homicide 
committed  in  an  affray.  As  the  life  or  death  of  the  offend'^r  rests  on  the 
preference  to  be  shown  towards  either  of  those  expositions  of  the  case,  it 
is  resolved  to  hold  any  immediate  decision  as  premature,  and  we  issue  our 
directions  to  the  said  sub-viceroy  to  revise  the  prior  decision;  and,  with 
the  assistance  of  a  renewed  investigation,  finally  to  determine  and  report 
to  us  the  sentence  which  he  may  conceive  most  agreeable  to  the  spirit  of 
our  laws. 

After  a  second  investigation,  and  reconsideration  of  the  affair,  the  sub- 
Ticeroy  sent  in  the  following  report  to  the  supreme  tribunal :  Pursuant  to 
the  order  for  revisal  issued  by  tlie  supreme  criminal  tribunal,  She-lo-pao 
has  been  again  examined  at  the  bar,  and  deposes.  That  on  iiearing  a  noise 
in  the  corn-fields,  he  conceived  it  to  proceed  from  thieves,  and  called  out 
inconsequence  but,  receiving  no  answer,  and  finding  the  noise  gradually 
to  approach  him,  he  then  suspected  it  to  have  arisen  from  a,  wolf  or  ti- 
ger ;  and,  in  the  alarm  thus  excited  for  his  personal  safety,  had  fired  tha 
gun,  by  which  \'ang-yung-man  had  been  mortally  wounded  ;  That,  since 
the  event  happened  in  the  second  watch  of  the  night,  after  the  moon  had 
set,  and  while  clouds  obscured  the  faint  light  of  the  stars,  it  was  really  a 
moment  of  impenetrable  darkness  ;  and  that  it  was  only  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  paces  that  he  distinguished  the  approach  of  the  sound  that  had 
alarmed  him,  but,  in  fact,  had  never  seen  any  shadow  or  traces  whatso- 
ever;  That  had  he  perceived  any  traces  or  shadow  of  that  description, 
he  would  not  have  ceased  to  call  out,  though  he  had  failed  to  receive  an 
answer  the  first  time,  nor  would  he  have  had  the  temerity  to  fire  the  gun, 
and  render  himself  guilty  of  murder. 

That,  on  the  preceding  examination,  the  severity  and  rigour  of  the  en- 
quiry, regarding  the  grounds  upon  which  he  suspected  the  approach  of 
thieves,  so  as  to  induce  him  to  fire,  had  overcome  him  with  fear,  being  a 
countryman,  unused  to  similar  proceedings,  arid  produced  the  apparent 
incongruity  in  his  deposition  ;  but  that  the  true  meaning  and  intent  was 
to  express  his  absolute  uncertainty  whether  the  alarm  arose  from  thieves 
or  wild  beasts,  and  nothing  further;  and  that,  from  such  deposition,  he 
had  never  intentionally  swerved  in  the  course  of  the  investigation. 

According,  therefore,  to  the  amendment  suggested  by  the  supreme  tri- 
bunal, it  appears,  indeed,  that  when  the  noise  was  first  perceived  in  the 
fields,  She-fo-pao  had  called  out,  and  on  being  prevented  by  the  wind  from 
hearing  a  reply,  had  taken  alarm  as  aforesaid. 

And  whereas  it  was  likewise  deposed  by  She-fo-pao,  That  the  grain 
being  ripe  at  that  season,  the  stems  were  exceeding  high  and  strong,  so 
as  to  render  it  difficult  to  v.alk  amongst  them,  it  seems  that  Vang-yung- 
man,  in  walking  through  the  corn,  had  produced  a  rushing  noise  very  au- 


252  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

vated  notions  of  moral  right  than  either  the  Greeks  or  the 
Chinese,  spurns  it  with  great  indignation*  In  allusion  to  such 
an  idea,  which  it  seems  had  become  a  proverb  among  the 
Jews,  he  breaks  out  into  this  sublime  exclamation :  "  What 
*'  mean  ye,  that  ye  use  this  proverb  concerning  the  land  of 
*'  Israel,' saying,  The  fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the 
*'  children's  teeth  are  set  on  edge  ?  As  I  five,  saith  the  Lord, 
*'  ye  shall  not  have  occasion  any  more  to  use  this  proverb  in 
"  Israel.  Behold,  all  souls  are  mine ;  as  the  soul  of  the  father, 
"  so  also  the  soul  of  the  son,  is  mine.  The  soul  that  sinneth, 
"  it  shall  die.     I'he  son  shall  not  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  fa- 

dible  to  She-fo-pao,  who  was  sitting  on  the  declivity  of  the  hill,  and  in  a 
direction  in  which  the  wind  favoured  the  progress  of  the  sound;  but 
when  the  latter  called  out,  the  wind,  on  the  contrary,  prevented  him  from 
being  heard,  and  consequently  from  receiving  an  answer ;  this  mischance, 
therefore,  gave  rise  to  his  suspicion  of  the  approach  of  wild  beasts,  which 
appears  to  have  been  the  sole  and  undisguised  motive  for  firing  tlie  gun. 

This  statement  of  facts  being  narrowly  investigated,  in  compliance 
with  the  supreme  tribunal's  order  for  revisal,  may  be  confided  in  as  ac- 
curate, and  worthy  of  credit ;  the  result  therefoi-e  is,  that  the  offender, 
during  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  under  the  apprehension  of  the  ap- 
proach of  a  wolf  or  tiger,  had  fired  a  musquet  in  a  spot  frequented  by 
men,  and  had  mortally  wounded  a  man  by  the  mischance,  which  corre- 
sponds with  the  law  suggested  in  the  order  for  revisal  issued  by  the  su- 
preme tribunal  -,  namely,  that  law  against  an  offender  who  should  unwa* 
rily  draw  a  bow  and  shoot  an  arrow  towards  fields  or  tenements,  so  that 
any  person  unperceived  therein  should  be  wounded  and  die  therefrom. 

The  prior  decision,  conformably  to  the  law  against  homicide  committed 
in  an  affray,  subsequent  investigation  does  not  confirm  ;  and  She-fo-pao 
is,  therefore,  only  punishable  with  banishment. 

This  second  report  being  received  by  the  supreme  criminal  trihunal, 
they  declare  that. 

The  sentence  having  been  altered  on  a  revision  by  the  sub-viceroy,  and 
rendered  conformable  to  the  law,  which  ordains  that,  whoever  shjill  un- 
warily draw  a  bow  and  shoot  an  arrow  towards  fields  or  tenements,  so 
that  any  person  unperceived  therein  may  be  wounded,  and  die  therefrom, 
the  offender  shall  receive  a  hundred  blows  with  the  bamboo,  and  suffer 
banishment  to  the  distance  of  3000  lys. 

We  confirm  the  sentence  of  a  hundred  blows  of  the  bamboo,  and  ba- 
nishment to  the  distance  of  3000  lys ;  and  further  prescribe,  that  ten 
ounces  of  silver  (3/,  6s.  5d.)  shall  be  paid  by  the  offender  to  the  relations 
of  the  deceased,  for  the  expenses  of  burial. 

The  sentence,  being  thus  pronounced  on  the  1 9th  day  of  the  5th  moon, 
of  the  27th  year  of  Kien-Long,  received  the  imperial  sanction  on  the  2 1st 
day  of  the  same  moon,  in  the  lellowing  Mords :  Pursuant  to  sentence  be 
this  obeyed. 

KHIN-TSE. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA,  253 

*'  ther,  neither  shall  the. father  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  son  : 
*'  the  righteousness  of  tlie  righteous  shall  be  upon  him,  and 
"  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  shall  be  upon  him." 

In  most  cases,  except  those  of  high  treason,  it  may  be 
presumed,  the  high  tribunal  of  Pekin  will  act  with  strict 
impartiality ;  and  it  is  greatly  to  be  lamented  that  all  civil 
causes  have  not  been  made  subject  to  a  similar  revision  as 
those  of  a  criminal  nature,  which  W'ould  strike  at  the  root 
of  an  evil  that  is  most  grievously  felt  in  China,  where  the 
officers  of  justice  are  knoA\Ti,  in  most  cases,  to  be  corrupted 
by  briber)'.  They  have,  however,  wisely  separated  the  office 
of  judge 'from  that  of  the  legislator.  The  former,  having 
found  the  fact,  has  only  to  refer  to  the  code  of  laws,  in  Avhich 
he  is  supplied  ^\'ith  a  scale  of  crimes  and  their  punishments. 
Such  a  mode  of  distributing  justice  is  not,  however,  without 
its  inconveniences.  Tender  as  the  government  has  shown 
itself,  where  the  life  of  a  subject  is  concerned,  having  once 
established  the  proportion  of  punishment  to  the  offence,  it  has 
supposed  an  appeal,  in  civil  causes  and  misdemeanors,  to  be 
imnecessar)\  The  sentence  in  such  causes  being  thus  left 
in  the  breast  of  a  single  j  udge,  how  great  soever  may  be  the 
nicety  by  which  the  penalty  is  adapted  to  the  offence,  die 
exclusion  from  appeal  is  in  itself  a  biu"  to  the  just  and  impar- 
tial administration  of  the  laws.  The  subject  l^ehig  refused 
the  benefit  of  carr}-ing  his  cause  into  a  higher,  and  on  that 
account  more  likely  to  be  a  more  impartial,  court,  has  no  se- 
curity against  the  caprice,  malice,  or  corruption  of  his  judge. 

It  ma}^  not,  perhaps,  be  thought  unworthy  of  notice,  tliat 
the  legislators  of  China,  among  the  various  punishments  de- 
vised for  the  commission  of  crimes,  have  given  the  criminal 
no  opportunity,  either  by  labouring  at  any  of  die  public 
works,  or  in  solitary  confinement,  to  make  some  reparation 
for  the  injury  he  has  committed  against  society.  Confinement 
in  prison,  as  a  punishment,  is  not  knoun.  E^ile  or  personal 
chastisement  are  decreed  lor  all  Lrregulaiides  not  approaching 
to  capital  offences. 

Executions  for  capital  crimes  ai'e  not  frequentiy  exhibited  : 
when  found  guilty,  tlie  criminals  are  remanded  to  prison  tiji 
a  general  goal  deliver)*,  which  happens  once  a  yeai',  about  the 
autumnal  equinox.  In  adopting  such  a  measure,  government 
ma}',  perhaps,  ha^e  considered,  how  little  benefit  the  morals 
©f  die  people  were  likely  to  derive  from  being  the  fr  jquent 


354  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

Spectators  of  the  momentary  pain  that  is  required  to  tak^ 
away  the  existence  of  a  fellow  mortal.  All  other  punishments 
however,  that  do  not  affect  the  life  of  man,  are  made  as  pub- 
lic as  possible,  and  branded  A\idi  the  greatest  degree  of  no- 
toriety. The  beating  with  the  bamboo,  in  their  ideas,  scarcely 
ranks  under  the  name  of  punishment ;  being  more  pro- 
perly considered  as  a  gentle  correction,  to  ^liich  no  disgrace 
is  attached ;  but  the  cangue,  or,  as  they  term  it,  the  tcha, 
a  kind  of  walking  pillory,  is  a  hea^y  tablet  of  M^ood,  to  which 
they  are  fastened  by  the  neck  and  hands,  and  ^^•l■lich  they  are 
sometimes  obliged  to  drag  about  for^^•ecks  and  months.  This 
is  a  terrible  punishment,  and  well  calculated  to  deter  others 
from  the  commission  of  those  crimes  of  ^^•hich  it  is  the  con- 
sequence, and  the  nature  of  which  is  alwa}s  inscribed  in 
large  characters  upon  it. 

The  order  that  is  kept  in  their  jails  is  said  to  be  excellent ; 
aiid  the  debtor  and  the  felon  are  alwa}'^s  confined  in  sepai'ate 
places;  as,  indeed,  one  should  suppose  eveiy where  to  be  the 
case  :  for,  as  Sir  George  Staunton  has  observed,  "  to  asso- 
*'  ciate  guilt  with  imprudence,  and  confound  wickedness  with 
*'  misfortune,  is  impolitic,  immoral,  and' cruel."* 

The  abominable  practice  of  extorting  confession,  by  the 
application  of  tlie  torture,  is  the  Morst  part  of  the  criminal 
laws  of  China  :  but  they  pretend  to  say  this  mode  is  seldom 
recurred  to,  unless  in  cases  ^here  the  guilt  of  the  accused 
has  been  made  to  appear  by  strong  circumstantial  evidence. 
It  is,  however,  a  common  punishment  to  squeeze  the  fingers, 
in  cases  of  misdemeanor,  and  is  particularly  practised  as  a 
punishment  of  those  females  \\ho purchase  Hcenses  for  break- 
ing through -the  rules  of  chastit}-. 

JBy  the  laws  relating  to  property, .  women  in  China,  as  in 
ancient  Rome,  are  excluded  from  inheriting,  \\iiere  there  are 
children,  and  from  disposing  of  property ;  but,  where  there 
are  no  male  ciiildren,  a  man  may  leave,  by  \^ill,  the  whole  of 
his  property  to  the  widow.  The  reason  they  assign  for  ^^•o- 
men  not  inheriting  is,  that  a  A\'oman  can  make  no  offering 
to  deceased  relations  in  the  hall  of  ancestors  ;  and  it  is  deemed 
one  of  the  first  ideal  blessings  of  life  for  a  man  to  have  s(jme 


•  A  debtor  is  released  when  it  appears  that  the  whole  of  his  propei-ty  has 
been  given  up  for  the  use  of  his  creditors. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  255 

one  to  look  up  to,  who  will  transmit  his  name  to  future  ages, 
by  performing,  at  certain  fixed  periods,  tlie  duties  of  this 
important  ceremony.  All  their  laws,  indeed,  respecting  pro- 
perty, as  I  ha\e  already  obser\ed,  aie  insufficient  to  gi\e  it 
that  security  and  stability,  which  alone  can  constitute  die  plea- 
sure of  accumulating  wcaldi.  The  avarice  of  men  in  power 
may  overlook  those  \\  lio  are  in  moderate  circumstances ;  but 
the  affluent  r^ely  escape  their  rapacious  grasp.  In  a  word, 
although  die  laws  ai'c  not  so  perfect  as  to  procure  for  the  sub- 
ject genenJ  good,  yet,  neither  aie  diey  so  defective  as  to  re- 
duce him  to  that  state  of  general  misery,  which  could  only 
be  terminated  in  a  revolution.  The  executive  administration 
is  so  fault}',  diat  the  man  in  office  generally  has  it  in  his 
power  to  go\ern  the  laws,  which  makes  the  measure  of  good 
or  evil  depend  greatly  on  his  moral  character. 

Such  are,  indeed,  the  disposition  and  the  habits  of  the 
people,  that  so  long  as  the  multitude  cim  procure  their  bowl 
of  rice  and  a  few  sa\or}'  sauces,  that  cost  only  a  mere  trifle, 
there  will  be  less  danger  of  a  rcA  olt ;  and  die  go%ernnient  is  so 
well  con^•inced  of  this,  that  one  of  its  first  concerns  is  to  lay 
up,  in  the  public  magazines  erected  in  every  pait  of  the  em- 
pire, a  provision  of  grain,  to  serve  as  a  supply  for  the  poor  in 
times  of  famine  or  scarcity.  In  this  age  cf  revolutions,  a 
change,  how  ever,  seems  to  be  taking  place  in  the  minds  of 
the  people,  which  I  sliall  presently  notice. 

The  system  of  universal  and  implicit  obedience,  towards 
superiors  pervades  eveiy  branch  of  the  public  service.  The 
officers  of  the  se\cral  departments  of  go\eninient,  from  the 
first  to  the  ninth  degree,  acting  upon  the  same  broad  basis  of 
paternal  audiority,  are  invested  with  the  power  of  inflicting 
the  summary  punishment  of  the  bamboo,  on  all  occasions 
where  they  may  judge  it  proper,  w  hich,  under  the  denomina- 
tion of  a  fatherly  correction,  they  administer  ^vithout  any 
previous  trial,  or  form  of  inquu}-.  The  slightest  offence  is 
punishable  in  this  manner,  at  tlie  w  ill  or  the  caprice  of  the 
lowest  magistrate.  Such  a  summary  proceeding  of  the 
pow^erful  ag-ainst  die  weak  naturally  creates  in  the  latter  a  dread 
and  distrust  of  the  former  ;  and  the  common  people,  accords 
iiigly,  regard  the  approach  of  a  man  in  office,  just  as  school- 
l)03s  observe  the  motions  of  a  scAcre  master ;  but  the  fatheilv 
kindness  of  the  emperor  is  recognised  even  in  punishmciit : 
die  culprit  may  claim  die  exemption  of  every  fifdi  blow  as 


256  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

the  emperor's  coap-de-grace ;  but  in  all  probability  he  gains 
little  by  such  remission,  as  the  deficiency  in  number  may 
easily  be  made  up  in  ^\•eight. 

This  practical  method  of  evincing  a  fatherly  affection  is 
not  confined  to  the  multitude  alone,  but  is  extended  to  every 
rank  and  description  of  persons,  ceasing  only  at  the  foot  of 
the  throne.  Each  officer  of  state,  from  the  ninth  degree  up- 
wards to  the  fourtii,  can,  at  any  time,  administer  a  gentle 
con-ection  to  his  inferior  ;  and  the  emperor  orders  tlie  bam- 
boo to  his  ministers,  and  to  the  other  four  classes,  whenever 
he  may  think  it  necessary  for  the  good  of  their  morals.  It  is 
well  known  that  the  late  Kien-Long  caused  two  of  his  sons 
to  be  bambooed  long  after  they  had  arrived  at  the  age  of 
maturity ;  one  of  which,  I  believe,  is  the  present  reigning 
emperor. 

In  ti-avelling  through  the  countr}'^,  a  day  seldom  escaped 
without  our  witnessing  the  application  of  the  pan-tse,  or  bam- 
boo, and  generally  in  such  a  manner  that  it  might  be  called 
by  any  other  name  except  a  gentle  coirection.  A  Chinese 
suffering  under  this  punishment  cries  out  in  the  most  piteous 
manner ;  a  Tartar  bears  it  in  silence.  A  Chinese,  after  re- 
ceiving a  ceitain  number  of  strokes,  falls  down  on  his  knees, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  before  him  v^io  ordered  the  punishment, 
thanking  him,  in  the  most  humble  manner,  for  the  fatlierly 
kindness  he  has  testified  towards  his  son,  in  thus  putting  him 
in  mind  of  his  errors  ;  a  Tartar  grumbles,  and  disputes  the 
point  as  to  the  right  that  a  Chinese  may  have  to  flog  him  ;  or 
he  turns  away  in  sullen  silence. 

Ridiculous  as  it  may  appear  to  a  foreigner,  in  obser\dng  an 
officer  of  state  stretching  himself  along  the  ground  for  tlie 
purpose  of  being  flogged  by  order  of  another  who  happens 
to  rank  one  degree  above  him ;  yet  it  is  impossible,  at  the 
same  time,  to  suppress  a  glow  of  indignation,  in  Avitnessing 
so  mean  and  obsequious  a  degradation  of  the  human  mind, 
which  can  bring  itself,  under  any  circumstances,  patiently  to 
sul^mit  to  a  vile  coi-poral  punishment,  administered  by  the 
hmid  of  a  shxe,  or  by  a  common  soldier ;  and  when  this  is 
done,  to  undergo  the  still  more  vile  and  humiliating  act  of 
kissing  the  rod  that  corrects  him.  But  the  policy  of  the  go- 
Acrnment  has  taken  good  care  to  remove  any  scruples  that 
might  arise  on  this  score.  Where  paternal  regard  was  tlie 
sole  motive,  sucli  a  chastisement  could  not  possibly  be  fol- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  257 

lowed  witli  dishonour  or  disgrace.  It  was  a  wonderful  point 
gained  by  the  government,  to  subject  every  individual,  the 
emperor  only  excepted,  to  the  same  corporal  correction ;  but 
it  must  have  required  great  address,  and  men's  minds  must 
have  been  completely  subdued,  or  completely  convinced,  before 
such  a  system  of  universal  obedience  could  have  been  accojji- 
plished,  the  consequence  of  which,  it  Mas  ol^vious,  could  be 
no  other  than  universal  servility.  It  could  not  fail  to  establish 
a  most  effectual  check  against  the  complaints  of  the  multitude, 
by  shewing  them  that  the  same  man,  who  had  the  power  of 
punishing  them,  was  equally  liable  to  be  corrected  in  histum, 
and  in  the  same  manner  by  another.  The  punishment  of  the 
bamboo  must,  I  suspect,  be  one  of  the  most  ancient  institutions 
of  China.  Indeed,  we  can  scarcely  concei\'e  it  ever  to  have 
been  introduced  into  a  societ}'  already  civilized  ;  but  radier  to 
have  been  coeval  with  the  origin  of  that  society. 

A  similai'  kind  of  personal  chastisement  for  light  offences, 
or  misconduct,  was  inflicted  in  Russia  on  persons  of  all  ranks ; 
but  with  this  difference,  that  the  correction  was  private,  and 
by  order  of  the  sovereign  alone.  The  czar  Peter,  indeed, 
generally  bestow-ed  a  drubbing  on  his  courtiers  \\ith  his  own 
liand;  who,  instead  of  being  dishonoured  or  disgraced  by  such 
a  castigation,  were  supposed,  from  tliat  very  circumstance,  to 
be  his  peculiar  favourites,  and  to  stand  high  in  his  confidence. 
The  great  Menzikoff  is  said  to  have  frequently  left  his  closet 
with  a  black  eye  or  a  bloody  nose,  and  seemed  to  derive  en- 
creasing  importance  from  the  unequivocal  marks  of  his  master's 
friendship.  Even  at  the  present  day,  or  till  very  lately,  little 
disgrace  was  attached  to  the  punishment  of  the  knout,  which 
was  a  private  flagellation  by  order  of  the  court;  but  this  abomi- 
nable practice  either  is  altogether  discontinued  or  in  its  last 
stage  of  existence.  Such  arbitrary  proceedings  could  not  long 
remain  in  force  among  an  enlightened  people. 

These  two  great  empires,  the  greatest,  indeed,  that  exist  in 
the  vv'orld,  dividing  between  them  nearly  a  fifth  part  of  the 
whole  habitable  gloi)e,  each  about  a  tenth,  exhibit  a  singular  dif- 
ference M'ith  regard  to  political  circumstances.  One  century 
ago  Russia  was  but  just  emerging  from  a  state  of  barbarism, 
and  in  a  century  hence,  in  all  human  probability,  she  will 
make  a  conspicuous  figure  among  European  nations,  both 
in  arts  and  arms.  Two  thousand  years  ago  China  was  civilized 
to  the  same  degi-ee,  or  nearly  so,  as  she  is  at  present.     The 

Kk 


258  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

governments  m ere  botli  arbitrary,  and  the  people  were  slaves. 
The  natiiml  genius  of  the  Russian,  cramped,  perhaps,  in  some 
degree  by  his  frozen  climate,  is  less  susceptible  of  improvement 
than  that  of  the  Chinese.  Whence,  then,  it  may  be  asked,  pro- 
ceeds tlie  V  eiy  great  difference  in  the  progressive  improvement 
of  the  two  nations  ?  principally,  I  should  suppose,  from  the 
t\v  o  follov\ing  reasons.  Russia  invites  and  encourages  foreigners 
to  instruct  her  subjects  in  arts,  sciences,  and  manufactures. 
China,  from  a  spirit  of  pride  and  self-importance,  as  well  as 
from  jealousy,  rejects  and  expels  them.  The  language  of 
Russia  is  easily  acquired,  and  her  subjects  as  easil}^  learn  those 
of  other  countries;  \A'hilst  that  of  China  is  so  difficult,  or  tiieir 
method  of  learning  is  so  defective,  as  to  require  the  study  of 
half  the  life  of  man  to  fit  him  for  any  of  the  ordinary  employ- 
ments of  the  state  ;  and  they  have  no  knowledge  of  any  lan- 
guage but  their  own.  The  one  is  in  a  state  of  youthful  vigour, 
advancing  daily  in  strength  and  knowledge  ;  the  other  is  worn 
out  with  old  age  and  disease,  and,  under  its  present  state  of 
existencfe,  is  not  likely  to  advance  in  any  kind  of  improve- 
ment. 

To  tlie  principle  of  universal  obedience  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment has  added  another,  which  is  well  calculated  to  satisfy 
the  public  mind  :  the  first  honours  and  the  highest  offices  are 
open  to  the  \try  lowest  of  the  people.  It  admits  of  no  here- 
ditary nobility  ;  at  least  none  with  exclusive  privilegqi.i^  As  a 
mark  of  the  sovereign's  favour  a  distinction  will  soj^etimes 
descend  in  a  family,  but,  as  it  confers  no  power  nor  i^d^vilege 
nor  emolument,  it  soon  wears  out.  All  dignities  may  .-be  con- 
sidered as  merely  personal,  the  princes  of  the  blood,  even, 
sink  gradually  into  the  common  mass,  unless  their  talents  and 
their  application  be  sufficient  to  qualify  them  for  office,  inde- 
pendent of  which  there  can  be  neither  rank  nor  honours,  and 
very  little,  if  any,  distinction,  (not  even  in  the  imperial  family), 
beyond  the  third  generation.  On  public  days,  the  emperor, 
at  a  single  glance,  can  distinguish  the  rank  of  each  of  the  many 
thousand  courtiers  that  are  assembled  on  such  occasions,  by 
their  dress  of  ceremony.  The  civilians  have  a  bird,  and  the  mi- 
litary a  tiger,  embroidered  on  the  breast  and  back  of  their  upper 
robe;  and  their  several  ranks  are  pointed  out  by  different 
coloured  globes,  mounted  on  a  pivot  on  the  top  of  the  cap  or 
bonnet.  The  emperor  has  also  two  orders  of  distinction,  which 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  259 

ire  conferred  by  him  alone,  as  marks  of  particular  fa^^our  :  the 
order  of  the  }"ello\v  vest  and  of  tlie  peacock's  feather. 

The  influence  that,  in  nations  of  Europe,  is  derived  from 
birth,  fortune,  and  character,  is  of  no  weight  in  the  Chinese 
government.  The  most  learned,  (and  I  ha\  e  alread}-  explained 
how  far  the  term  extends )  provided  he  be  not  of  notoriously 
bad  character,  is  sure  to  be  employed ;  though,  under  the  pre- 
sent Tartar  government,  the  Chinese  complain  that  they  never 
arrive  at  the  highest  rank  till  they  are  advanced  in  3ears.  Learn- 
ing alone,  by  tlie  strict  maxims  of  stiite,  leads  to  office,  and  office 
to  distinction.  Property,  ^\'ithout  learning,  has  little  weight,  and 
confers  no  distinction,  except  in  some  coiTupt  proA'incial  go- 
vernments, where  the  external  marks  of  office  are  sold,  as  in 
Canton.  Hence  property  is  not  so  much  ^an  object  of  the  laws 
in  China  as  elsewhere,  and  consequently  has  not  the  same  secu- 
rity. In  the  governments  of  Europe,  property  seldom  fails  to 
command  influence  and  to  force  dependence  :  in  China,  the 
man  of  property  is  afraid  to  own  it,  and  all  the  enjoyments  it 
procures  liim  are  stolen. 

Sometimes,  indeed,  the  highest  apointments  in  the  state  are 
conferred  as  it  happens  elsewhere,  b}-  some  favourable  acci- 
dent, or  by  the  caprice  of  the  monP"  .1.  A  striking  instance 
of  tliis  kind  was  displayed  in  the  person  of  Ho-tchung- tang,  the 
last  prime  minister  of  the  late  Kien-long.  This  man,  a  Tartar, 
happened  to  be  placed  on  guard  in  the  palace,  where  his  youth 
and  comely  countenance  struck  the  emperor  so  forcibly,  in  pas- 
sing, that  he  sent  for  him  to  the  presence  ;  and  finding  him 
equally  agreeable  in  his  conversation  and  manners,  he  raised 
him  rapidly,  but  gi'adually,  from  the  situation  of  a  common 
soldier,  to  the  highest  station  in  the  empire.  Such  sudden 
changes,  from  a  state  of  nothingness  to  the  summit  of  powder, 
have  frequently  been  obsei'ved  to  be  attended  with  consequences 
no  less  fatal  to  the  man  so  elevated,  than  pernicious  to  the 
public :  and  thus  it  happened  to  this  favourite  minister.  During 
the  life  of  his  old  master,  over  whom,  in  his  later  years,  he  is 
said  to  have  possessed  an  unbounded  influence,  he  availed  him- 
self of  the  means  that  offered,  by  every  species  of  fraud  and  ex- 
tortion, by  tyranny  and  oppression,  to  amass  such  immense 
w  ealth,  in  gold,  silver,  pearls,  and  immovable  property,  that 
his  acquisitions  w-ere  generally  allowed  to  have  exceeded  those 
of  any  single  individual  that  the  historj^  of  the  country  had 
made  known.  His  pride  and  haughty  demeanour  had  rendered 


260  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

him  so  obnoxious  to  the  royal  family,  tliat,  at  the  time  we  were 
in  Pekin,  it  was  general  h-  supposed  he  made  up  his  mind  to 
die  with  tlie  old  emperor ;  for  wliich  event  he  had  always  at  hand 
a  dose  of  poison ;  not  chusing  to  stand  the  severe  investigation 
which  he  a\  as  well  a^\•are  the  succeeding  prince  would  direct  to 
be  made  into  liis  ministerial  conduct.  It  seems,  however,  when 
that  event  actually  happened,  the  love  of  life,  and  the  hope  of 
escaping,  prevailed  on  him  to  change  liis  purpose  and  to  stand 
tlie  hazard  of  a  trial.  Of  the  crimes  and  enormites  laid  to  his 
charge,  he  was  found,  or  rather,  he  ^\^s  said  to  have  pleaded, 
guilty.  The  vast  wealth  he  had  extorted  from  others  was  con- 
fiscated to  the  cro^vn,  and  he  was  condemned  to  suffer  an  igno- 
minious death.* 

*  The  circumstances  attending  the  downfal  of  this  minister  arecurious, 
and  shew,  in  its  true  light,  the  despotic  nature  of  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment, notwithstanding  their  salutary  laws.  The  new  emperor,  deter- 
mined on  his  ruin,  makes  a  public  declaration,  wherein,  after  apologiz- 
ing for  not  abstaining,  agreeably  to  the  laws  of  the  empire,  from  all 
acts  of  innovation,  for  the  space  of  three  years  after  his  father's  death, 
he  observes,  that  the  crimes  and  excesses  of  Ho-tchung-tang  are  of  so 
horrid  a  nature,  as  to  preclude  him  from  acting  towards  him  with  any 
pity  or  indulgence.  He  then  exhibits  about  twenty  articles  of  accusation 
against  him :  the  principal  of  which  are, 

Contumacy  towards  his  father  (the  late  emperor),  by  riding  on  horse- 
back to  the  very  door  of  the  hall  of  audience  at  Yuen^min-yuen. 

Audacity^  under  pretence  of  lameness,  in  causing  himself  to  be  carried 
to  and  from  the  palace  through  the  door  set  apart  for  the  emperor. 

Scandalous  behaviour^  in  taking  away  the  virgins  of  the  palace,  and 
appropriating  them  to  his  own  use. 

Pride  and  insolence^  in  countermanding  his  (the  new  emperor's)  order, 
for  all  the  princes  of  Tartaiy  to  be  summoned  to  Pekin  (those  who  had 
not  had  the  small-pox  excepted),  to  assist  at  the  funeral  of  his  father ;  and 
by  issuing  a  new  one,  in  which  none  were  excepted. 

Bribery  and  partiality^  in  selling  and  giving  away  appointments  of 
weight  to  persons  totally  unqualified  to  fill  them. 

Arrogance.^  in  making  use  of  the  wood  Nan-moo  (cedar)  in  his  house, 
which  is  destined  exclusively  for  royal  palaces ;  and  in  building  a  house 
and  gardens  in  the  style  and  manner  of  those  belonging  to  the  emperor. 

For  having  in  his  possession  more  than  two  hundred  strings  of  pearls, 
and  an  immense  quantity  of  jewels  and  precious  stones,  which  his  rank 
did  not  allow  him  to  wear,  and  among  which  was  a  pearl  of  such  won- 
derful magnitude  that  the  emperor  himself  had  no  equal  to  it. 

For  having,  in  gold  and  silver  alone,  which  has  been  already  discover- 
ed and  confiscated,  the  amount,  at  least,  of  ten  million  taels  (about 
3,300,000/.  sterling), 

One  article  is  singularly  curious.  For  having  been  guilty  of  the 
deepest  treachery  in  informing  him  (the  new  emperor)  of  his  father's 


TRAVELS  IN  pHINA.  261 

But  Ho-tchung-tang,  if  guilty  of  inordinate  ambition,  or 
acts  of  injustice,  is  far  from  being  the  only  instance  of  such 
conduct  in  men  thus  raised  from  humble  situations.  The 
oificers  of  government  in  general,  though  intended  by  the 
constitution  as  a  kind  of  bai-rier  between  the  prince  and  the 
people,  are  i^  greatest  oppressors  of  the  latter,  who  have  sel- 
dom any  meahs  of  redress,  or  of  conveying  their  complaints 
to  the  imperial  ear.  There  is  no  middle  class  of  men  in  Chi- 
na :  men  whose  property  and  ideas  of  independence  give  them 
weight  in  the  piut  of  the  countr}-  where  they  reside;  and 
whose  influence  and  interest  are  considered  as  not  below  the 
notice  of  die  government.  In  fact,  there  ai'e  no  other  than 
the  governors  and  the  governed.  If  a  man,  by  trade,  or  in- 
dustry in  his  profession,  has  accumulated  riches,  he  can  enjoy 
tliem  only  in  private.  He  dares  not,  by  having  a  grander 
house,  or  finer  clothes,  to  let  his  neighbour  perceive  that  he  is 
richer  than  himself,  lest  he  should  betra}^  him  to  the  command- 
ing-officer of  the  district,  \\  ho  would  find  no  difficulty  in 
bringing  him  within  the  pale  of  the  sumptuary  laws,  and  in 
laying  his  property  under  confiscation. 

Sometimes,  indeed,  the  extortions  that  the  officers  practise 
upon  the  people,  as  in  the  case  of  Ho-tchung-tang,  meet  tlie 

intention  to  abdicate  the  government  in  his  (the  new  emperor's)  favour, 
one  day  before  his  father  made  it  public  ;  thinking  by  such  means  to 
gain  his  favour  and  affection  ! 

After  enumerating  the  several  articles  of  accusation,  the  emperor 
states  that  this  minister,  being  interrogated  by  a  Tartar  prince  on  the 
several  points,  had  confessed  the  whole  to  be  true,  and,  therefore,  with- 
out further  evidence,  he  commands  the  presidents  and  members  of  the 
several  courts  in  Pekin,  the  viceroys  of  provinces,  and  governors  of  cities, 
on  these  articles  of  accusation  being  laid  before  them,  to  pass  a  proper 
sentence  on  the  said  Ho-tchung-tang.  According  to  the  majority,  he 
was  condemned  to  be  beheaded  ;  but,  as  a  peculiar  act  of  grace  and  be- 
nevolence on  the  part  of  the  emperor,  this  sentence  was  r.^.itigated  to 
that  of  his  being  allowed  to  be  his  own  executioner.  A  silken  cord 
being  sent  as  an  intimation  of  this  mark  of  the  emperor's  favour,  he 
caused  himself  to  be  strangled  by  some  of  his  attendants. 

Who  could  escape  when  the  emperor  of  China  is  himself  the  accuser? 
It  will  readily  occur,  from  the  fate  of  Ho-tchung-tang,  that  there  is  not 
that  line  of  independence  drawn  between  the  executive  and  judicial  au- 
thority, which  the  ingenious  author  of  the  Spirit  of  Laws  has  clearly 
proved  to  be  the  grand  foundation  of  a  just,  legal,  and  efficier^t  security 
of  the  life  and  property  of  the  subject.  In  fact,  in  all  state  crimes,  the 
emperor  becomes  both  the  accuser  and  the  judge.  In  the  case  of  Ho- 
tchung-tang  he  may  likewise  be  said  to  have  been  the  only  evidence. 


262  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

hand  of  justice.  Other  magistrates  keep  a  steady  eye  upon 
their  proceedings,  and,  in  proper  time,  transmit  the  necessary 
information  to  court.  Spies  also  are  detached  from  court  into 
the  provinces,  under  the  name  of  inspectors.  Jealous  of  each 
other,  they  let  no  opportunity  slip  of  making  ui:favourable  re- 
ports to  their  superiors.  Notwithstanding  whicib,  with  all  the 
precautions  taken  by  government  in  favour  ofthe  subject,  the 
latter  finds  himself  most  dreadfully  oppressed.  It  is  true,  for 
veiy  slight  oft'ences  preferred  against  men  in  office,  the  court 
directs  a  public  reprimand  in  the  official  gazette ;  for  those  of 
a  more  serious  nature,  degradation  from  rank  ;  and  every  of- 
ficer so  degraded  is  under  the  necessity  of  proclaiming  his  own 
disgrace  in  all  his  public  orders  ;  not  only  to  put  him  in  mind 
of  his  past  conduct,  but  likewise  to  shew  tlie  people  how  watch- 
ful the  eye  of  government  is  over  tlie  actions  of  its  servants. 
The  last  stage  of  public  degradation,  which  amounts  to  a  sen- 
tence of  infamy,  is  an  order  to  superintend  the  preparation  of 
the  emperor's  tomb,  which  implies  that  the  person  so  sentenced 
is  more  fit  to  be  employed  among  the  dead  than  the  living. 
Tchang-ta-gin,  the  late  viceroy  of  Canton,  was  condemned  to 
this  degrading  service.* 

The  viceroy  of  a  province  can  remain  in  that  office  no  longer 
than  three  years,  lest  he  might  obtain  an  undue  influence. 
No  servant  of  the  crown  can  fonii  a  family  alliance  in  the  place 
M'here  he  commands,  nor  obtain  an  office  of  importance  in  the 
city  or  town  wherein  he  was  bom.  Yet  with  these,  and  other 
precautions,  there  is  still  little  security  for  the  subject.  He 
has  no  voice  whatsoever  in  the  government,  either  directly  or 
by  representation ;  and  the  only  satisfaction  he  possibly  can 
receive  for  injuries  done  to  him,  and  that  is  merely  of  a  negative 
kind,  is  the  degradation  or  the  removal  of  the  man  in  power, 
who  had  been  his  oppressor,  or  who,  perhaps,  may  be  replaced 
by  another  equally  bad. 

The  ingenious  Mr.  Pauw  has  observed  that  China  is  en- 
entirely  governed  by  the  whip  and  the  bamboo.  To  these  he 
might  have  added  the  yearly  calendar  and  the  Pekin  gazette ; 
both  of  which,  as  engines  in  the  hands  of  government,  contri- 
bute very  materially  to  assist  its  operations.   By  the  circulation 

*  Among  tlie  various  customs  of  China,  particularized  in  the  accounts  of  the 
two  Mahemedan  travellers  in  the  ninth  century,  this  remarkable  one  is  noticed, 
aft'ording',  with  the  rest,  equally  singular  and  peculiar  to  this  nation,  an  irrefraga- 
ble proof  of  the  authenticity  of  these  two  relations. 


» 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  263 

of  the  first  is  kept  alive  the  observance  of  certain  superstitions 
which  it  is,  apparently,  the  study  of  government  to  encourage. 
The  second  is  a  vehicle  for  conveying  into  every  comer  of  the 
empire  the  virtues  and  tlie  fatherly  kindness  of  the  reigning 
sovereign,  shown  by  punishing  the  officers  of  his  government, 
not  only  for  what  diey  have  done  amiss,  but  for  what  they 
may  have  omitted  to  do.  Thus,  if  a  famine  has  desolated  any 
of  the  provinces,  the  principal  officers  are  degraded,  for  not 
having  taken  the  proper  precautions  against  it.  This  paper, 
in  the  shape  of  a  small  pamphlet,  is  published  ever}-  second 
day.  The  missionaries  have  pretended  that  immediate  deiith 
would  be  the  consequence  of  inserting  a  falsehood  in  the  im- 
perial gazette ;  yet,  it  is  famous  for  describing  battles  that 
were  never  fought,  and  for  announcing  \  ictories  that  were 
never  gained.  The  truth  of  this  observation  appears  from 
several  proclamations  of  Kaung-shee,  Tchien  Long,  and  the 
present  emperor,  wai-ning  the  generals  on  distant  stations 
from  making  false  reports,  and  from  killing  thousands  and  ten 
thousands  of  die  enemy,  sometimes  even  w  hen  no  engage- 
ment had  taken  place.*  The  reverend  gentlemen  onlv  mean 
to  say,  that  the  editor  would  be  punished  if  he  ventured  to  m- 
sert  any  thing  not  sent  to  him  officially  by  the  go\'eniment. 

The  press  in  Cliina  is  as  free  as  in  England,  and  the  profes- 
sion of  printing  is  open  to  e\^ery  one ;  w^hich  is  a  singular 
circumstance,  and  perhaps  the  onl}-  instance  of  the  kind  in  a 
despotic  government.  It  has  usually  been  supposed  that,  in 
free  countries  only,  ^vhere  every  person  is  equally  under  the 
protection,  and  equally  liable  to  the  peucilties,  of  the  law%  the 
liberty  of  the  press  could  be  cherished ;  and  that  it  was  a  thing 
next  to  impossible,  that  power,  founded  on  cn'or,  and  support- 
ed by  oppression,  could  long  be  maintained  A\here  the  press 
was  free.  It  was  the  press  that,  in  Europe,  effected  the  ruin 
of  the  priestly  power,  by  dispelling  the  clouds  that  had  long 
obscured  the  ra}^s  of  truth,  and  by  opening  a  free  access  to  the 
doctrines  ofthat  religion  which,  of  all  others,  is  best  calculated 

•  The  words  of  Kaung'-shee's  proclamation,  repeated  by  Kia-king',  are:  "  At 
"  present,  when  an  army  is  sent  on  any  military  service,  every  report  that  is 
"  made  of  its  operations  contains  an  account  of  a  victory,  of  rebels  dispersed  at 
"  the  first  encounter,  driven  from  their  stations,  killed,  and  wounded,  to  a  great 
"  amount,  or  to  the  amount  of  some  thousands,  or,  in  short,  that  the  rebels  slain 
"  were  innumerable."  IPeiin  Gazette,  51tt  yuly,  1800. 


364  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

for  the  promotion  of  individual  happiness  and  public  vir- 
tue.* 

In  China,  tlie  Uberty  of  the  press  seems  to  exeite  no  appre- 
hensions in  the  government.  Tlie  summary  mode  of  punish- 
ing any  breach  of  good  morals,  without  the  formality  of  a  trial, 
makes  a  positive  proliibition  against  printing  unnecessary,  be- 
ing itself  sufficient  to  restrain  the  licentiousness  of  the  press. 
The  printer,  the  vender,  and  the  reader  of  any  libellous  publi- 
cation, ai'e  all  equally  liable  to  be  flogged  a\  ith  the  bamboo. 
Fe^v,  I  suppose,  Av^ould  be  hardy  enough  to  print  reflexions 
on  the  conduct  of  government,  or  its  principal  officers,  as  such 
publications  would  be  attended  with  certain  ruin.  Yet,  not- 
withstanding all  the  dangers  to  which  the  printing  profession  is 
liable,  daily  papers  are  published  in  the  capital,  circulating, 
something  like  our  own,  private  anecdotes,  domestic  occur- 
rences, public  notices  of  sales,  and  the  \\'onderful  virtues  of 
quack  medicines.  We  w^ere  told  that,  in  one  of  tliese  papers, 
the  Portuguese  missionar}-,  mentioned  in  Mr.  Grammont's 
letter,  got  a  paragraph  inserted,  purporting  the  great  neglect 
of  the  English,  in  having  brought  no  presents  for  the  princes 
of  the  blood,  nor  for  the  emperor's  ministers.  This  false  and 
malicious  paragraph  wsls  said  to  be  followed  by  another,  insi- 
nuating tliat  those  for  the  emperor  were  common  articles,  of 
little  value.  Another  pretended  to  give  a  catalogue  of  them, 
and  included  an  elephant  about  the  size  of  a  rat,  giants,  dwarfs, 
wishing-pillows,  and  such  like  nonsense.  These,  however, 
and  other  publications,  were  industriously  kept  from  our  sight. 
Under  the  generous  idea  that  we  were  the  emperor's  guests, 
we  were  not  allowed  to  purchase  any  thing.  He  alone  was  to 
supply  our  wants ;  but  his  officers  took  the  liberty  of  judging 
what  these  wants  should  consist  in. 

It  is  a  singular  phenomenon,  in  the  history  of  nations,  how 
the  government  of  an  empire,  of  such  vast  magnitude  as 
that  of  China,  should  have  preserved  its  stability,  without  any 
material  change,  for  more  than  two  thousand  yeai-s  ;  for,  drop- 
ping their  pretensions  to  an  extravagant  antiquity,  for  which, 
however,  they  have  some  giounds,  there  can  be  no  doubt  they 

t  When  the  art  of  printing  was  first  introduced  into  England,  and  carried  on  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  a  shrewd  churchman  is  said  to  have  observed  to  the  abbot  of 
Westminster,  "  If  you  don't  take  care  to  destroy  that  machine,  it  will  very  soon 
"  destroy  your  trade."  He  saw,  at  a  single  glance  of  the  press,  the  downfal  of 
priestly  dominion,  in  the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge  that  would  be  occasioned 
by  it ;  and  had  the  rest  of  the  clergy  been  equally  clear-sighted,  it  is  probable 
the  dark  ages  of  superstition  and  ignorance  had  still  continued,  or  at  least  had  been 
greatly  protracted. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  265 

Were  prettj''  much  in  the  same  state,  regulated  by  tlie  same 
la^\•s,  and  under  the  same  form  of  government  as  tliey  now  iu^e, 
four  hundi^ed  years  before  tlie  birth  of  Christ,  about  ^hich 
time  their  renouTied  philosopher  flourished,  ^\■hose  works  ai"e 
still  held  in  the  highest  reputation.  They  contain,  indeed,  all 
the  maxims  on  which  their  government  is  still  grounded,  and 
all  the  rules  by  which  the  different  stations  in  life  take  their 
moral  conduct ;  and  the  monarchy  is  supposed  to  have  been 
established  two  thousand  years  before  his  time. 

If  the  test  of  a  good  government  be  made  to  depend  on  tiie 
length  of  its  continuance,  unshaken  and  unchanged  by  revolu- 
tions, China  may  certainly  be  allowed  to  rank  the  fii-st  among 
civilized  nations.  But,  whether  good  or  bad,  it  has  possess- 
ed the  art  of  moulding  the  multitude  to  its  o'smi  shape,  in  a 
manner  unprecedented  in  the  annids  of  the  world.  Various 
accidents,  impro^^ed  by  poHcy,  seem  to  have  led  to  its  dura- 
bility. Among  these  the  natural  barriers  of  the  country,  ex- 
cluding any  foreign  enemy,  are  not  to  be  reckoned  as  the  least 
favourable;  wliilst  the  extreme  caution  of  the  government,  in 
admitting  strangers,  kept  the  world  in  ignorance,  for  many 
ages,  of  the  existence  even  of  the  most  extensive,  po\A"eriuI, 
and  populous  empire  among  men.  Secluded  thus  from  all  in- 
tercourse with  the  rest  of  the  world,  it  had  time  and  leisure  to 
mould  itso^\•n  subjects  into  the  shape  it  wished  them  to  retain  ; 
and  the  event  has  sufliciently  proved  its  knowledge  in  tliis 
respect. 

A  jiumber  of  fortunate  circumstances,  seldom  combined  in 
the  same  country,  have  contributed  to  the  preser^'ation  of  inter- 
nal tranquillity  in  China.  The  language  is  of  a  nature  well  calcu- 
lated to  keep  the  mass  of  tlie  people  in  a  state  of  ignorance.  They 
are  neither  prohibited  from  embracing  any  religion,  of  which 
they  may  make  a  choice,  nor  coerced  to  contribute  towards 
the  support  of  one  they  do  not  approxe.  The  pains  that  have 
l)een  taken  to  inculcate  sober  habits,  to  destroy  mutual  confi- 
dence, and:  render  CA'ery  man  reser\ed  and  suspicious  of  his 
neighbour,  could  not  fail  to  put  an  end  to  social  intercourse. 
No  meetings  Mere  held,  even  for  convivial  puiposes,  beyond 
the  famil}'  circle ;  and  these  only  at  the  festi^•al  of  a  new  year. 
Those  kind  of  turbulent  assemblies,  where  real  or  .  lagined 
grie\-ances  are  discussed  ^vith  all  the  rancour  and  \iolence  that 
malicious  insinuations  against  government,  added  to  the  effects 
of  intoxicating  draughts,  too  frequently  inspire,  never  happen 

L  1 


266  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

among  the  Chinese.  Contented  in  ha\ing  no  voice  in  the  go- 
\ernment,  it  has  never  occurred  to  them  that  they  have  any 
rights :  *  and  they  certainly  enjo}'  none  but  what  are.hablc  to 
be  in-\-aded  and  trampled  on,  whenever  the  so^'ereign,  or  any 
of  his  representatives,  from  interest,  malice,  or  caprice,  think 
fit  to  exercise  the  power  that  is  within  their  gi'asp.  The  doc- 
trine of  employing  resistance  against  oppression,  applied  to  the 
people  and  the  government,  is  so  contraiy  to  eveiy  sentiment 
of  the  former,  tliat  the  latter  has  little  to  fear  on  that  score. 

Partial  insurrections  occasionally  happen ;  but  they  are  ge- 
nerallv  owing  to  the  extreme  poverty  of  the  people,  which,  in 
seasons  of  scarcity  and  famine,  compels  them  to  take  by  vio- 
lence the  m.eans  of  subsisting  life,  A\hich  otherwise  they  could 
not  obtain.  To  this  cause  may  be  referred  the  origin  of  al- 
most all  the  commotions  recorded  in  their  history,  through 
some  of  which,  when  the  calamity  became  general,  theregiilar 
succession  has  been  interrupted,  and  even  changed.  We 
were  told,  ho^ve^'er,  by  our  Chinese  attendants,  that  certain 
mysterious  societies  did  exist  in  some  of  the  provinces,  whose 
chief  object  was  to  overturn  the  Tartar  government ;  that 
they  held  secret  meetings,  in  which  they  gave  vent  to  their 
complaints  against  Tartai*  preponderancy,  revived  the  memory 
of  ancient  glory,  brooded  over  present  injuries,  and  meditated 
revenge.  If  even  this  be  the  case,  the  present  state  of  society 
is  little  favourable  to  their  vie^vs.  Nor,  indeed,  would  a  re- 
volution be  a  desirable  event  for  the  Chinese  tliejnselves.  It 
could  not  fail  of  being  attended  with  the  most  horrible  conse- 
quences.    The  Tiutar  soldiers  -would  be  tired  of  slaying,  and 

*  When  the  mischievous  doctrines  of  I'om  Paine,  expounded  in  his 
"  Rights  of  Mar.,"  were  translated  into  various  languages,  and  industi-i- 
ously  attempted  to  be  propagated  among  the  Eastern  nations,  by  means 
of  French  emissaries  ;  when  one  of  those  assiduous  disturbers  of  the 
peace  of  mankind  had  actually  succeeded  in  furnishing  the  Seiks  with 
an  abstract  of  this  precious  work  in  their  own  language,  he  next  turned 
his  attention  to  the  vast  empire  of  China,  a  glorious  theatre  for  those 
zealous  cosmopolites  to  play  their  parts  in,  if  they  could  once  contrive 
to  suit  their  drama  to  the  taste  of  the  people.  The  experiment,  how- 
ever, failed  of  success.  The  golden  opinions  of  Tom  Paine  could  not  be 
transfused  into  the  Chinese  language  ;  and  these  unfortunate  people- 
understood  no  other  but  their  own ;  so  that  three  hundred  and 
thirty-three  millions  were  doomed  to  remain  in  ignorance  and  misery  on 
account  of  their  language  being  incapable  of  conveying  the  enlightened 
doctrines  of  Tom  Paine. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  267 

millions,  that  escaped  the  sword,  must  necessarily  pey-ish  by 
(amine,  on  the  least  interruption  of  tlie  pursuits  of  agriculture;" 
ior  they  have  no  other  countr}-  to  look  to  for  supplies,  and  they 
raise  no  surplus  quantity  in  their  own. 

In  order  to  prevent,  as  much  as  possible,  a  scarcity  of  grain, 
and  in  conformity  to  their  own  opinion  tliat  the  true  source  of 
national  wealth  and  prosperity  consists  in  agriculture,  the 
Chinese  government  has,  in  all  ages,  bestowed  the  lirst  ho- 
nours on  cvciy  improvement  in  this  branch  of  industr}'.  The 
husbandman  is  considered  as  an  honourable,  as  well  as  useful 
member  of  society ;  he  ranks  next  to  men  of  letters,  or  officers 
of  state,  of  whom  indeed  he  is  frequently  the  progenitor. 
The  soldier  in  China  cultivates  the  ground.  The  priests  also 
are  agricultmists,  whenever  their  con\^ents  ixre  endowed  with 
land.  The  emperor  is  considered  as  the  sole  proprietary  of 
the  soil,  but  the  tenant  is  ne\cr  turned  out  of  possession  as 
long  as  he  continues  to  pay  his  rent,  Vv-hich  is  calculated  at 
about  one-tenth  of  what  his  farm  is  supposed  capable  of 
yieldinr^' ;  and  though  the  holder  of  lands  can  onl}'  be  con- 
sidered as  a  tenant  at  will,  yet  it  is  his  own  fault  if  he  should 
l)e  dispossessed.  So  accustomed  ixre  the  Chinese  to  consider 
an  estate  as  their  own,  while  they  continue  to  pay  the  rent, 
that  a  Portuguese  in  Macao  had  nearly  lost  his  life  for  endea- 
•\ouring  to  raise  the  rent  upon  his  Chinese  tenants.  If  any 
one  happens  to  hold  miore  than  his  family  can  conveniently 
cultivate,  he  lets  it  out  to  another,  on  condition  of  receiving 
half  the  produce,  out  of  which  he  pav's  the  whole  of  the 
emperor's  taxes.  A  great  piut  of  the  poorer  peasantry  cul- 
ti\-ate  lands  on  these  terms. 

There  aie,  in  fact,  no  immense  estates  grasping  nearly 
the  whole  of  a  district ;  no  monopolizing  farmers,  nor  dealers 
in  grain.  Ever}-  one  can  bring  his  produce  to  a  free  and  open 
market.  No  fisheries  are  let  out  to  fiu'm.  Every  subject  is 
equally  entitled  to  Uie  free  and  uninterrupted  enjoyment  of  the 
sea,  of  the  coasts,  and  the  estuaries  ;  of  the  lakes  and  rivers. 
There  are  no  manor-lords  with  exclusive  privileges  ;  no  lands 
set  apart  for  feeding  beasts  or  birds  for  the  profit  or  pleasure 
of  particular  persons  ;  every  one  may  kill  game  on  his  o\vn 
ground,  and  on  die  public  commons.  Yet,  with  all  these 
seeming  advantages,  there  are  rarely  three  succcssi^•e  vx-ars 
without  a  famuic  in  one  province  or  another. 


268  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

As  in  the  Roman  empire,  examples  were  not  \;'anting  of 
the  first  chaiacters  in  the  state  glor3-ing  to  put  tlieir  hands  to 
the  plough,  to  render  the  earth  fertile,  and  to  engage  in  the 
natural  employment  of  man  ;  as, 

In  ancient  tiroes  the  sacred  plough  employ'd, 
Tlie  kings  and  awful  fathers. 

So,  in  China,  the  emperor,  at  the  vernal  equinox,  after  a 
solemn  offering  to  the  God  of  heaven  and  eartli,  goes  through 
the  ceremony  of  holding  tl^  plough ;  an  example  in  which  he 
is  followed  by  the  viceroys,  and  governors,  and  great  officers, 
in  ever\'  part  of  the  empire.     This  ceremony,  though,  in  all 
probability,  the  remains  of  a  religious  institution,  is  well  cal- 
culated  to  give  encouragement  to  the  labouring  peasantry, 
whose  profession,  thus  honourably  patronized,   cannot  fail 
to  be  pursued  with  more  energy  and  cheerfulness  than  where 
it  receives  no  such  m.arks  of  distinction.     Here  merchants, 
tradesmen,  and  mechanics,  are  considered  far  beneath  the 
husbandman.     So  far  firom  obtaining  the  honours  attendant 
on  commerce  in  the  ancient  city  of  Tyre,  "  whose  merchants 
*'  were  princes,  whose  traffickers  ^^'ere  the  honourable  of  the 
*'  eai'th,"  or  the  ancient  immunities  granted  in  Alfred's  reigia 
(by  w^hich  an  English  merchant,  who  had  made  three  foreign 
voyages  by  sea,  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  nobilit)^,  the  man 
who,  in  China,  engages  in  foreign  trade  is  considered  as  little 
better  than  a  vagabond.     The  home  trade  only  is  supposed 
to  be  necessar}^,  and  deserving  the  protection  of  government. 
It  allows  all  goods  and  manufactures,    tlie  produce  of  the 
countr}^  to  be  interchanged  between  the  several  provinces,  on 
payment  only  of  a  small  transit-duty  to  the  state,  and  certain 
tolls  on  the  canals  and  rivers,  applied  chiefly  to  the  repairs  of 
flood-gates,  bridges,  and  embankments.     This  trade,  being 
cai-ried  on  entirely  by  baiter,  employs  such  a  multitude  of 
craft,  of  one  description  or  other,  as  to  baffle  all  attempts  at 
a  calculation.     I  firmly  believe  that  all  the  floating  vessels  in 
the  world  besides,  taken  collectively,  would  not  be  equal, 
either  in  num.ber  or  tonnage,  to  those  of  China. 

Foreign  trade  is  barely  tolerated.  So  A'er}^  indiflferent  the 
court  of  Pekin  affects  to  be  on  this  subject,  that  it  has  been 
hinted,  on  some  occasions,  and  indeed  serious  apprehensions 
have  been  entertained  in  Europe,  th?it  they  were  half  disposed 


TRAVELS  IN"  CHINA.  2G9 

to  shut  the  port  of  Canton  against  foreigners.  The  treatment, 
indeed,  which  strangers  meet  with  at  this  place,  from  the  in- 
ferior officers  of  government,  is  of  itself  sufficient  to  exclude 
them,  and  such  as  could  ojily  be  tolerated  in  consideration 
of  the  importance  of  the  trade,  and  especially  in  the  supply 
of  tea ;  an  iuticle  which,  from  being  about  a  century  ago  a 
kixury,  is  no^v  become,  particularly  in  Great  Britain,  one  of 
the  first  necessities  of  life. 

The  taxes  raised  for  the  support  of  government  ai"e  far  from 
being  exorbitant  or  burthensome  to  the  subject.  They  con- 
sist in  the  tenth  of  the  produce  of  the  land  paid  usually  ui 
kind,  in  a  duty  on  salt,  on  foreign  imports,  and  a  few  smiJler 
taxes,  that  do  not  niaterially  alFect  the  bulk  of  the  people. 
The  total  amount  of  taxes  and  assessments,  which  each  indi- 
vidual pa}'s  to  the  state,  taken  on  an  average,  doe^  not  exceed 
four  shillings  a  year. 

With  such  advantages,  unknown  in  most  other  countries, 
and  such  great  encouragement  gi\en  to  agriculture,  one  would 
be  led  to  suppose  that  the  condition  of  the  poor  must  be  less 
exposed  to  hardships  here  than  elsewhere.  Yet,  in  years  of 
sciu'city  many  thousands  perish  from  absolute  want  of  food. 
And  such  years  so  frequently  occur  in  one  province  or  ano- 
ther, either  from  unfa\ounible  seasons  of  draught  or  inunda- 
tions, the  ill  effijcts  of  both  of  ^\hich  might  probably  be 
coimteracted  by  proper  management,  or  by  an  honest  appli- 
cation of  the  sums  of  money  voted  for  the  puq^ose  out  of  the 
public  revenue,  that  government  has  seldom  been  able  to 
lay  up  in  store  a  sufficient  quantity  of  grain  to  meet  the  ne- 
cessities of  the  people  in  seasons  of  general  calamit}- ;  and 
they  have  no  other  relief  to  depend  on  but  this  precarious 
supply,  seldom  administered  \\ith  alacrit}-,  on  account  of  tlie 
number  of  hands  it  has  to  pass  through.  This  leads  them 
to  commit  outrages  against  their  A\ealthier  neighbours.  There 
lu'e  few  public  charities;  and  it  is  not  a  common  custom  to 
ask  alms.  I  did  not  obsene  a  single  beggar  from  one  ex- 
tremity of  China  to  the  other,  except  in  the  streets  of  Can- 
ton :  nor  are  there  an}'  poor-laws  griping  the  indttstrlons  luis- 
bandman  and  labourer,  to  feed  the  laz}',  and  to  feast  those 
who  have  the  care  of  them  ;  no  paupers  of  any  description, 
fiupported  from  funds  that  liavc  been  IcA-Icd  on  the  public. 
The  children,  if  li\ing,  and  if  not,  die  next  of  kin,  must 
t.'^c  caie  of  their  aged  relations ;  and  the  parents  dispose  of 


27t)  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

their  children  in  what  manner  they  may  think  best  for  the 
ihmily  interest.  As  se-v'cral  generations  U^'e  together,  they' 
arc  subsisted  at  a  much  cheaper  rate  than  if  each  had  a  sepa- 
rate household.  In  cases  of  real  disti-ess  the  government  is 
supposed  to  act  the  pai-ent ;  and  its  good  intentions  in  diis 
respect  cannot  be  called  in  question ;  whenever  it  appears  that 
any  of  its  officers,  through  neglect  or  malice,  have  withheld 
grain  from  the  poor,  they  ai'e  punished  with  singular  severity, 
sometimes  even  with  deatli. 

Another  great  ad\-antage  enjO}-ed  by  the  Chinese  subject  is, 
that  the  amount  of  his  taxes  is  ascertained.  He  is  never  re- 
quired to  contribute,  by  any  new  assessment,  to  make  up  a 
given  sum  for  the  extraordinm-y  expenses  of  the  state,  except 
in  cases  of  rebellion,  when  an  additional  tax  is  sometimes  im- 
posed on  tlie  neighbouring  provinces.  But,  in  geneial,  the  exe- 
cutive government  must  adapt  its  wants  to  the  ordinary  supplies, 
instead  of  calling  on  the  people  for  extraordinary  contributions. 
The  amount  of  the  revenues  of  this  great  empire  has  been  dif- 
ferently stated.  As  the  principal  branch,  the  land-tax,  is  paid 
in  kind,  it  is  indeed  scarcely  possible  to  estimate  the  receipt  of 
it  accurately ;  as  it  ^vilI  greatly  depend  on  the  state  of  the  crop. 
An  emperor  who  aims  at  popularit}'-  ne\^er  fails  to  remit  tliis 
tax  or  rent,  in  such  disti'icts  as  have  suffered  by  drought  or 
inundation.  Chou-ta-gin  gave  to  lord  Macartney,  from  the 
imperial  rent-roll,  a  rouy-Ii  sketch  of  the  sums  raised  in  each 
jiro^'ince ;  making  them  to  amount,  in  the  whole,  to  about  sixty- 
six  millions  sterling ;  which  is  not  more  than  twice  the  reve- 
nue of  the  state  in  Great  Brititin,  exclusive  of  the  poor's-rate 
and  other  parochial  taxes,  in  1803,  and  \vhich  gives,  as  I  be- 
fore observed,  if  reduced  to  a  capitation,  the  sum  of  about 
lour  shillings  for  each  individual ;  ^vhilst  tliat  of  Great  Britain, 
by  an  analogous  computation,,  would  amount  to  about  fifteen 
times  that  sum.  I  should  suppose,  however,  that  a  shilling 
in  China,  generally  speaking,  will  go  as  far  as  three  in  Great 
Britain. 

From  the  i)rcduce  of  the  taxes  the  civil  and  militaiy  esta- 
blishments, and  all  the  incidental  and  extraordinaiy  expenses, 
ai-e  first  paid  on  the  spot  -v^here  thev  ai-e  incurred,  out  of  the 
provincial  magazines,  and  the  remainder  is  remitted  to  the  im- 
perial treasury  in  Pekin  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  court,  the 
establishment  of  the  emperor,  his  palaces,  temples,  gardens, 
Momen,  and  princes  of  the  blood.  The  confiscations,  presents, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA,  2ri 

tributes,  and  otlicr  articles,  may  be  reckoned  as  his  privy  purse^ 
The  sLii-plus  revenue  remitted  to  Pekin,  in  the  yeai- 1792,  v.as 
stated  to  be  about  36,000,000  ounces  of  silver,  or  12,000,000/. 
sterling.  It  is  a  general  opinion,  among  the  Chinese  part  of  his 
subjects,  that  vast  sums  of  the  surplus  revenue,  and  such  as 
arise  from  confiscations,  ai'e  annually  sent  to  Moukden,  the 
capital  of  Mant-choo  Tartary  ;  but  this  should  appear  to  be  an 
erroneous  opinion  founded  on  prejudice.  Notwithstanding  the 
enormous  ^\•ealth  of  Ho-tchung-tang,  that  filled  the  imperial 
coftcrs,  the  present  emperor  found  it  necessary  die  same  year  to 
accept  an  offering,  as  it  was  called  of  500,000  ounces  of  siher, 
or  166,666/.  sterling,  from  the  salt  merchants  of  Canton,  and 
sums  of  money  and  articles  of  merchandize  from  other  quarters, 
to  enable  him  to  quell  a  rebellion  that  ^vas  raging  in  one  of  the 
western  provinces.  He  even  sent  down  to  Canton  a  quantity 
of  pearls,  agates,  serpentines,  and  other  stones  of  little  value,  in 
the  hope  of  raising  a  temporary  siippl}-  from  the  sale  of  them 
to  foreign  merchimts.  The  emperor  of  China,  therefore,  has 
not  so  much  wealth  at  his  disposal  as  has  usually  been  imagined. 
He  even  accepts  of  patriotic  gifts  from  indi\iduals,  consisting 
of  pieces  of  porcelain,  silks,  fans,  tea,  and  such-like  trifliiig 
articles,  ^^  hich  afterw  ards  serve  as  presents  to  foreign  embas- 
sadors ;  and  each  gift  is  pompously  proclaimed  in  the  Pekin 
gazette. 

The  cliief  officers  in  the ci\il  department  of  governments, 
independent  of  the  ministers  and  the  different  boards  in  Pekin 
according  to  the  statement  of  Tchu-ta-gin,  A\ith  their  salaries 
and  alloA\ ances  reduced  into  silver,  \\ill  be  seen  from  the  fol- 
lo^\■ing  table,  \\lMch,  with  that  of  die  military-  establish.ment,  is 
published  in  the  appendix  to  the  authentic  account  of  die  em- 
bassy by  sir  George  Staunton  ;  and  as  they  differ  \cry  litde  from 
the  court  calender  publislied  in  1801,  and  as  I  have  occasion 
to  make  a  few  remai-ks  on  them,  as  well  as  on  that  of  the  popu- 
lation, A\-hich  ^\•ill  be  gi\'cn  in  a  subsequent  chapter,  1  ha\e 
not  hesitated  to  introduce  them  into  the  present  'v\"ork. 


272 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


Qiiality. 

Number. 

Salaries 
in  ounces 
of  silver. 

Total. 

Viceroys  over  one  or  more  provinces 
Governors  of  provinces 
Collectors  of  revenue 
Presidents  of  criminal  tribunals 
Governors  of  more  than  one  city  of  the  first  order 
Governors  of  one  city  only  of  the  first  order 
Governors  of  a  city  of  the  second  order 
Governors  of  a  city  of  the  third  order 
Presidents  of  literature  and  examinations  - 
Inspectors  general 

11 
15 
19 
18 
86 

184 

149 
1305 
17? 

117  S 

20,000 
16,000 
9,000 
6,000 
3,000 
2,000 
1,000 
800 

3,000 

220,000 
240,000 
171,000 
108,000 
258,000 
368,000 
149,000 
1,044,000 
402,  300 

Tot;iI  oz.             2,960,00(^ 

The  inferior  officers  acting  immediately  under  the  orders 
of  these,  and  amounting  to  many  tliousands,  together  with 
the  salaries  and  expenses  of  the  different  boaixls  in  the  ca- 
pital, all  of  which  are  paid  out  of  the  public  treasury,  must  re^ 
quire  a  sum  at  least  equal  to  the  above ;  so  that,  on  a  moderate 
calculation,  the  ordinary  expenses  of  the  civil  establishment 
will  amount  to  the  sum  of  5,920,000  ounces,  or  1,973,333/. 
sterling. 

Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  numerous  appointments, 
and  the  frequent  changes  in  administration,  liom  the  circum- 
stance of  the  court  calendar,  or  red  book,  being  published 
every  three  months,  making  four  tolerable  large  volumes,  or 
sixteen  volumes  e\^ery  year. 

The  flitherly  attention,  the  wise  precautions,  and  the  extreme 
jealousy  of  the  government,  have  not  been  considered  as  alone 
sufficient  for  the  internal  arid  external  protection  of  the  empire, 
without  the  assistance  of  an  immense  standing  army.  This 
vsmy,  in  the  midst  of  a  profound  peace,  was  stated  by  Van-ta- 
o-in  to  consist  of  eighteen  hundred  thousand  men,  one  million 
of  which  were  said  to  be  infantry,  and  eight  hundred  thousand 
cavalr}-.  As  this  government,  however,  is  supposed  to  be 
muchgiA'cn  to  exaggeration  in  all  matters  relating  to  tiie  ag- 
grandisement of  the  countiy,  riid  to  deal  liberally  in  hyper- 
boles, v.herever  nimibers  £ire  concerned,  the  authenticity  of 
the  abo^^e  statement  of  their  miiitaiy  force  may  perhaps  be 
called  in  question.  The  sum  of  money  that  would  be  required 
to  keep  in  pay  and  furnish  the  extraordinaries  of  so  immense 
an  army  is  so  immoderate,  that  the  revenues  would  appear  to 
be  unable  to  bear  it.  If  the  pay  and  the  appointments  of  each 
soldier,  infantiy  and  ca^-aliy  one  with  another,  be  supposed  to 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


273 


amount  to  a  shilling  a  da}^,  tJie  sum  required  for  die  pay  alons 
would  amount  to  33,000,0001.  sterling  a  )-ear ! 

To  come  neai-er  the  truth,  let  us  take  the  calculation  draM  n 
up  by  Lord  Macartne)^  from  the  information  of  Van-ta-gin. 


Rank. 


Tan-ton 

'I'sung'-piiig' 

Foo-tsung' 

Tchoo-lsnng 

Tchoo-tze 

Too-tze 

Sciou  i'oo 

i'sicn-tsnng 

P;i-l.snng 

Commissaries  of  provisions  of  first  rank 

Commissaries  of  provisions  of  second  rank 


5; 

3 

C/5 

■  n 

18  4000 

62' 2400 

121 

1300 

165 

800 

373 

600 

425 

400 

825 

320 

1680 

160 

3622 

130 

44 

320 

330 

160 

£-        H 


72,000 
148,800 
157,300 
132,000 
223,800 
170,000 
264,000 
268,800 
470.870 
14,080 
52,800 


1,000,000  infantry,  at  t\vo  ounce*  of  silver  each  per 


Total  1,974,450 
month,  provisions  included  5  24,000,000 

SOO.OOO  ca\alrv,  at  four  ounces  each,  provisions  and  7  r.o  jinn  «nA 
forage  included  jo8,400,000 

800,000  horses,  cost  at  twenty  ounces  each,  16,000,000 
oz.  tlie  annual  wear  and  tear  at  10  per  cent, 
will  be 
Uniforms  for  1 ,800,000  men  once  a  year,  at  four  ounces 
Vcarly  v\  car  and  tear  of  arms,  Hccoutremcnts,  aiid  contin- 
gencies, at  one  ounce  per  man       i 


1,600,000 

7,200,000 
1,800,000 


3,000,000 


Total  ounces    74,974,450 


And  as  no  alIo\\ance  is  made  in  the  above  estimate  for  the  ex- 
pense of  aitiller}-,  tents,  \\m--cquipage,  nor  for  vessels  of  force 
on  the  diftei'cnt  ri\ers and  canals,  the  building  and  keeping  in 
repair  the  military  posts,  the  flags,  ceremonial  dresses,  boats, 
waggons,  musical  bands,  all  of  which  are  included  in  the  ex- 
traordinaries  of  the  army,  these  may  probably  be  equal  to  the 
ordinaries ;  dius  the  whole  military  establishment  a\  ould  re- 
quire the  sum  of  149,948,900  ounces,  or  49,982,9331.  sterling. 
The  disposal  of  die  revenues  will  then  stand  as  follows : 

Totil  amount  of  the  revenue         -  -  ^.66,000,000 

Civil  establishment         -         £.1,973,333 
Military  ditto  -  49,982,933 

51,956,266 


Surplus,being  for  the  emperor's  establishment,  £.  1 4,043,734 

M  m 


274  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

which  accords  pretty  nearly  with  the  sum  said  to  be  remitted 
to  Pekiii  in  the  yeiu*  1792. 

It  will  appear,  then,  tliat  if  the  revenues  be  admitted  as  accu- 
rate (and  I  see  no  just  reason  for  supposing  the  contrary),  they 
are  more  than  suiiicient  to  meet  the  expenses  of  an  establish- 
ment appai"ently  so  enormous.  If,  however,  the  king  of  Prus- 
sia, the  monarch  of  a  small  indistinguishable  speck  on  the 
globe,  when  put  in  comparison  with  the  empire  of  China,  can 
keep  up  an  army  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  or  two  hundred 
thousand  men,  I  can  perceive  notliing  either  extravagant  or 
extraordinary  in  supposing  that  a  sovereign,  whose  dominions 
ai"e  eight  times  the  extent  of  those  of  France,  before  lier  late 
usurpations,  should  ha\-e  ten  times  as  gi-cat  a  force  as  that  of 
the  king  of  Prussia.  It  may,  perhaps,  be  asked,  in  what  man- 
ner are  they  employed,  seeing  the  nation  is  so  little  engaged  in 
foreign  war '?  Tlie  employments  for  which  the  military  aie 
used  differ  materially  from  those  among  European  nations. 
Except  a  great  part  of  the  Tartar  cavalr}^,  A^ho  ai-e  stationed 
on  the  nortliiern  frontier  and  in  the  conquered  proA'inccs  of 
Tartar)^,  and  the  Taitar  infantry,  who  are  distributed  as  guards 
for  the  different  cities  of  the  empire,  the  rest  of  the  army  is 
parcelled  out  in  the  smaller  to^^"ns,  villages  and  hamlets; 
where  they  act  as  jailors,  constables,  thief-takers,  assistants  to 
magistrates,  subordinate  collectors  of  the  taxes,  guards  to  the 
granaries,  and  are  employed  in  a  variety  of  different  ways  under 
the  civil  magistracy  and  police.  Besides  these,  an  immense 
multitude  are  stationed  as  guards  at  the  military  posts  along 
the  public  roads,  canals,  and  rivers.  These  posts  are  small 
square  buildings,  like  so  many  little  castles,  each  having  on  its 
summit  a  watch-tower  and  a  flag ;  and  they  are  placed  at  the 
distance  of  three  or  four  miles  asunder.  At  one  of  these  posts 
there  are  never  fewer  than  six  men.  They  not  only  prevent 
robberies  and  disputes  on  the  roads  and  canals,  but  convey  the 
public  dispatches  to  and  from  the  capital.  An  express,  sent 
from  post  to  post,  travels  between  the  capital  and  Canton  in 
t'welve  days,  ^\ hich  is  upwards  of  one  hundred  miles  a  day. 
There  is  no  other  post  nor  mode  of  conve}'ing  letters  for  the 
convenience  of  the  public. 

A  great  part,  then,  of  the  Chinese  army  can  only  be  consi- 
dered as  a  kind  of  militia,  which  never  has  been,  and  in  all  hu- 
man probability  never  will  be,  embodied ;  as  a  pait  of  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  :175 

community  not  liAing  entirely  on  the  labour  of  the  rest,  but 
contributing  something  to  the  common  stock.  Every  soldier 
stationed  on  the  different  guards  has  his  portion  of  land  assign- 
ed to  him,  which  he  cultivates  for  his  family,  and  pa)-s  his 
quota  of  the  produce  to  tlie  state.  Such  a  provision,  encou- 
raged by  public  opinion,  induces  the  soldier  to  mairy,  and  tlie 
married  men  are  never  remo^^ed  from  theu'  stations. 

It  will  not  be  expected  that  men  thus  circumstimced  should 
exhibit  a  very  military  appearance  under  arms.  In  some 
places,  Avhere  they  ^^■cre  di"awn  out  in  compliment  to  the  em- 
bassador, when  the  Aveather  happened  to  be  a  little  warm,  they 
were  employed  in  the  exercise  of  their  fans  instead  of  their 
match-locks ;  others  we  found  drawn  up  in  a  single  line,  and 
/x,'stlng  very  composedly  on  their  knees  to  receive  the  embassa- 
dor, iu  which  posture  they  remained  till  their  commanding-of- 
ficer passed  the  word  to  rise.  Whenever  we  happened  to  take 
them  by  surprise,  there  Mas  the  greatest  scramble  to  get  tJieir 
Jiolyday  dresses  out  oftlie  guard-house,  which,  when  put  on, 
had  more  the  appearance  of  being  intended  for  die  stage  than 
the  field  of  battle.  Their  quilted  petticoats,  satin  boots,  and 
tljeir  funs,  had  a  mixture  of  clumsiness  and  effeminac}'  that  ill 
accorded  \\ith  the  military  character. 

The  difterent  kinds  of  troops  tliat  compose  the  Chinese  army 
consist  of 

Tai'tiu-  ca\alr3',  ^^ hose  only  Aveapon  is  the  sabre ;  and  a  few 
i\ho  caj'ry  bo\\'s. 

Tartar  infant/}-,  bowmen ;  having  also  large  sabres. 

Chinese  infantiy,  carrying  die  same  weapons. 

Chinese  matchlocks. 

Chinese  tigers  of  war,  beaiing  large  round  shields  of  basket- 
work,  and  long  ill-made  s\vords.  On  the  shields  of  the  last 
are  piiinted  monstrous  faces  of  some  imaginaiy  animal,  intend- 
ed to  frighten  the  enemy,  or,  like  another  Gorgon,  to  petrify 
their  beholders. 

The  militai-}'  dress  varies  in  almost  CA^erj^  pro\ince.  Some- 
limes  they  wore  blue  jackets  edged  \\  ith  red,  or  bro^Mi  with 
\ellow ;  some  had  long  pantaloons ;  some  breeches,  with 
stockings  of  cotton-cloth  ;  others  petticoats  and  boots.  The 
bowmen  had  long  loose  gowns  of  blue  cotton,  stuffed  with  a 
kind  of  felt  or  wadding,  studded  all  over  with  brass  knobs,  and 
boiuid  round  the  middle  with  a  girdle,  from  which  the  sabre 
was  appended  behind,  hanging  Avith  the  point  fo^^'ards,  and 


276  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

on  tlie  right,  not  tlie  left,  side,  as  in  Europe.  On  the  head  they 
wore  a  hehiiet  of  leather,  or  gilt  pasteboard,  •with  flaps  on  each 
side,  that  covered  the  checks,  and  fell  upon  the  shoulder.  The 
upper  part  was  exactly  like  an  in-\^erted  funnel,  Mith  a  long 
pij5e  tcrniinating  in  a  kind  of  spear,  on  A\hich  was  bound  a 
tuft  of  long  hair  dyed  of  a  scarlet  colour. 

The  greatest  number  we  saw  at  any  one  place  might  be 
from  tA\o  to  three  thousand,  \\ hich  ■\\ere  diawn up  in  a  single 
line  along  the  bank  of  a  river ;  and  as  they  stood,  ^ith  an  in- 
terval between  each,  equal  to  the  width  of  a  man,  they  formed 
a  \'ery  considerable  line,  in  length.  E\-cry  fifth  man  had  a 
small  triimgular  flag,  and  e^•cry  tenth  a  laige  one ;  tht  staffs 
that  supported  them  were  fixed  to  the  jacket,  behind  the  shoul- 
ders. Some  of  the  flags  were  gi-cen,  edged  with  red ;  others 
blue,  edged  with  yelloAw  I  never  saw  the  Chinese  troops 
drawn  out  in  any  other  \\'ay  than  a  single  line  in  front ;  not 
even  two  deep. 

The  Tartai-  cavalry  appeal"  to  be  remarkably  swift,  and  to 
charge  with  great  impetuosity ;  but  the  horses  are  so  small, 
and  are  broken  into  so  quick  and  short  a  stroke,  that  the  eye 
is  deceived.  Their  real  speed,  in  fact,  is  very  moderate. 
Their  saddles  ai'e  remarkably  soft,  and  raised  so  high,  both 
before  and  behind,  that  the  rider  cannot  easily  be  throAvn  out 
of  his  seat.  The  stirrups  are  so  short,  that  the  knee  is  almost 
as  high  as  the  chin.  They  have  ^'cry  little  ai-tillerj-,  and  that 
little  is  as  wTctched  as  it  well  can  be.  I  suspect  it  is  borrowed 
from  the  Portuguese,  as  the  matchlock  most'  unquestionably 
has  been. 

When  our  fellow-traveller  Van-ta-gin  was  asked  the  reason 
of  their  pretending  to  give  a  preference  to  the  clumsy  match- 
locks over  the  firelocks  now  in  use  among  the  European 
troops,  he  replied,  it  had  been  found,  after  a  severe  engage- 
ment in  Thibet,  that  the  matchlocks  had  done  much  more  exe- 
cution than  the  firelocks.  It  is  diflticult  to  combat  prejudices  ; 
but  it  was  not  very  difficult  to  couAince  Van  that  the  men 
might,  probably,  have  been  quite  as  much  in  fault  as  the 
musquets  ;  and  that  the  superior  steadiness  of  the  fire  from 
the  matchlocks  might  possibly  be  owing  to  their  being  fixed, 
by  an  iron  fork,  into  the  ground.  The  missionaries  have  as- 
signed a  very  absurd  reason  for  firelocks  not  being  used  in 
China  :  they  say  the  dampness  of  the  air  is  apt  to  make  the 
flint  miss  fire.     Witli  equal  propriety  might  these  gentlemen 


I 


'  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  277 

have  asserted  tint  flints  would  not  emit  fire  in  Italy.  T]\cir 
want  of  good  iron  and  steel  to  manufacture  locks,  or  the  bad 
quality  of  their  gunpowder,  might,  perhaps,  be  oflcred  as  bet- 
ter reasons  ;  and,  as  the  l)est  of  all,  their  ^vant  of  courage  and 
coolness  to  make  use  of  them  w  idi  that  steadiness  which  is 
required  to  produce  the  effects  of  which  they  arc  capable. 
Their  favourite  instrument  is  the  bow,  which,  like  all  other 
missile  \\eapons,  requires  less  courage  to  manage  than  those 
%\  hich  luring  man  to  oppose  himself  in  close  contest  with  man. 

Although  the  Tartars  have  found  it  expedient  to  continue 
the  Chinese  army  on  the  old  footing,  it  may  naturally  be 
supposed  they  would  endeavour  to  secure  themselves  by  all 
possible  means  hi  the  possession  of  this  vast  empire,  and  that 
they  would  use  every  exertion  to  recruit  the  army  with  their 
own  countr\Tnen,  in  preference  to  the  Chinese.  Every  l\ir- 
tar  male  child  is  accordingly  enrolled.  This  precaution  was 
necessary,  as  their  whole  army,  at  the  time  of  the  conquest, 
is  said  not  to  have  exceeded  eighty  thousand  men.  At  this 
time,  in  fact,  a  \\-cak  administration  had  sufibred  the  empire  to 
be  torn  asunder  by  con\ulsions.  iM'cry  department,  both 
civil  and  militaiy,  ^^'as  under  the  control  of  eunuchs.  Six 
thousand  of  these  creatures  are  said  to  have  been  turned  adrift 
by  the  Taitars  on  taking  possession  of  the  palace  in  Pekin. 

The  conduct  of  the  Man-tchoo  Taitars,  v.  hose  race  is  now 
on  the  throne,  was  a  master-piece  of  policy  little  to  be  expected 
in  a  tribe  of  people  that  had  been  considered  but  as  half  ci- 
vilized. They  entered  the  Chinese  dominions  as  auxiliaiies 
against  two  rebel  chiefs,  but  soon  percei\cd  they  might  be- 
come the  principals.  Having  placed  dieir  leader  on  the  vacant 
throne,  instead  of  setting  up  for  conquerors,  they  melted  at 
once  into  the  mass  of  the  conquered.  They  adopted  the 
dress,  the  manners,  and  the  opinions  of  the  people.  In  all  die 
ci^il  departments  of  the  state  they  appointed  the  ablest  Chinese, 
and  all  \'ac;\ncies  were  filled  \\\X\\  Chinese  in  prefei-ence  to 
Tartars.  They  learned  the  Chinese  language ;  maiTied  into 
Chinese  families ;  encouraged  Chinese  superstitions ;  and,  in 
short,  omitted  no  step  that  could  tend  to  incorporate  them  as 
one  nation.  Their  great  object  was  to  strengthen  tlic  army 
^^•idl  their  own  countrnnen,  whilst  the  Chinese  were  so  satis- 
fied with  the  change,  that  they  almost  doubted  whctlicr  a 
change  had  really  taken  place. 


-78  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

Tlic  unintemipted  succession  of  four  emperors,  all  of  \\'hom 
were  endowed  with  excellent  understandings,  uncommon  vi- 
gour of  mind,  and  decision  of  character,  has  hitherto  obviated 
the  danger  of  such  an  enormous  disproportion  between  the  go- 
leniors  and  the  governed.  The  wisdom,  prudence,  and  energy 
of  these  emperors  have  not  only  maintained  the  family  on  the 
tiirone,  the  fifth  of  A^'hich  now  fills  it,  but  have  enlarged  the 
dominions  to  an  extent  of  which  historj'^  furnishes  no  parallel. 
The  present  emperor,  Kia-king,  is  said  to  possess  the  learning 
and  prudence  of  his  father,  and  the  firmness  of  Kaung-Shee ; 
but  it  is.  probable  he  will  have  a  more  difficult  task  in  govern- 
ing the  empire  than  either  of  his  predecessors.  In  proportion 
as  th»  Taitar  power  has  increased,  they  have  become  less  so- 
licitous to  conciliate  the  Chinese.  All  the  heads  of  departments 
are  no'>v  Tartai's.  The  ministers  are  all  Tartars ;  and  most  of 
the  high  offices  of  trust  and  power  are  filled  by  Tartars.  And 
although  the  ancient  language  of  the  country  is  still  preserved 
as  the  court  language,  yet  it  is  more  dian  probable  that  Tartar 
pride,  encreasing  with  its  growing  power,  will  ere  long  be  in- 
duced to  adopt  its  own. 

The  emperor  Kaung-Shee,  indeed,  took  uncommon  pains 
to  impro\e  the  Man-tchoo  language,  and  to  form  it  into  a  sys- 
tematic thesaurus  or  dictionary ;  and  Tchien-Lung  directed 
that  the  children  of  all  such  parents  as  \vere,  one  a  Tartar,  the 
other  a  Chinese,  should  be  taught  the  Man-tchoo  language ; 
and  that  they  might  pass  their  examinations  for  office  in  that 
language.  I  could  observe  that  the  young  men  of  the  royal 
family  at  Yucn-min-yuen  spoke  with  great  contempt  of  the 
Chinese.  One  of  them,  pcrcei\'ing  that  I  was  desirous  of  ac- 
quiring some  kno\A'ledge  of  the  Chinese  written  character,  took 
great  pains  to  convince  me  that  the  Taita.r  language  wa?  much 
superior  to  it ;  and  he  not  only  offered  to  furnish  me  with  the 
alphabet  and  some  books,  but  with  his  instructions  also,  if  I 
^\•ould  give  up  the  Chinese,  which,  he  observed,  was  not  to 
be  acquired  in  the  course  of  a  man's  whole  life.  I  could  not 
forbear  remarking,  how  very  much  these  young  princes  enjoy- 
ed a  jest  levelled  against  the  Chinese.  An  ill-natured  remark, 
for  instance,  on  the  cramped  feet  and  the  hobbling  gait  of  a 
Chinese  woman  met  wath  their  hearty  approbation ;  but  they 
\Aere  equally  displeased  on  hearing  the  clumsy  shoes  worn  by 
the  Tartar  ladies  compared  to  the  broad  flat-bottomed  junks 
of  the  Chinese. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  279 

Although  the  ancient  institutes  and  la^^•s,  the  estabUshed 
forms  of  office,  the  pageantry  of  administration,  were  all  re- 
tained, and  the  dress,  the  manners,  and  external  deportment 
of  the  vanquished  were  assumed  by  the  victors,  yet  the  native 
character  remained  distinct ;  and  no^\ ,  in  the  higher  depart- 
ments of  office  especially,  it  bursts  dirough  all  disguise.  The 
conscious  superiority  of  the  one  checks  and  overa^\es  the  other. 
"  Most  of  our  books,"  observes  Lord  Macartney,  "  confound 
*'  the  tAvo  people  together,  and  tiilk  of  them  as  if  they  made 
*'  only  one  nation  under  the  general  name  of  China;  but, 
"  \vhatever  might  be  concluded  trom  an}-  outward  appearances, 
"  the  real  distinction  is  never  forgotten  by  the  sovereign  who, 
"  though  he  pretends  to  be  perfectly  impartial,  conducts  him- 
"  self  at  bottom  by  a  systematic  nationality,  and  never  for  a 
"  moment  loses  sight  of  the  cradle  of  his  po\Acr.  The  science 
"  of  government  in  the  eastern  world  is  understood  by  those 
"•  ^vho  ffovern  xerv  differcntlv  from  Avhat  it  is  in  the  western. 
"  When  the  succession  of  a  contested  kingdom  in  Liu-ope  is 
*'  once  ascertained,  whether  by  ^'iolence  or  compromise,  the 
"  nation  returns  to  its  pristine  regularity  and  composure :  it 
"  matters  little  whether  a  Bourbon  or  an  Austrian  fills  the 
*'  throne  of  Naples  or  of  Spain,  because  the  sovereign,  who- 
"  ever  he  be,  then  becomes,  to  all  intents  and  purj-^oses,  a 
"  Spaniard  or  Neapolitim,  and  his  descendants  continue  so 
"  \Aith  accelerated  velocity.  George  the  first  and  George  the 
"  second  ceased  to  be  foreigners,  from  the  moment  our  sceptre 
'*  was  fixed  in  their  hands ;  and  his  present  majesty  is  as  much 
"  an  Englishman  as  king  Alfred  or  king  Edgar,  and  governs 
"  his  people  not  by  Teutonic  but  by  English  laws. 

"  The  policy  of  Asia  is  totally  opposite.  There  the  prince 
"  regards  the  place  of  his  nativity  as  an  accident  of  mere  indif- 
''  ference.  If  the  parent  root  be  good,  he  thinks  it  will  flourish 
"  in  every  soil,  and  perhaps  acquire  fresh  \'igour  from  trans- 
"  plantation.  It  is  not  locality,  but  his  own  cast  and  famih* ; 
"  it  is  not  the  country  ^vhere  he  drcAA^  his  breath,  but  the  stock 
"  from  which  he  sprung ;  it  is  not  the  sc^neiy  of  the  theatre, 
''  but  the  spirit  of  the  drama,  that  engages  his  attention  and 
'*  occupies  his  thoughts.  A  series  of  two  hundred  years,  in 
*'  the  succession  of  eight  or  ten  monarchs,  did  not  change  the 
''  Mogul  into  a  Hindoo,  nor  has  a  century  and  a  half  made 
''  Tchien-Lung  a  Chinese.     He  remains,  at  this  hour,  in  ail 


280  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

*'  his  maxims  of  policy,  as  true  a  Tartar  iis  aiiy  of  his  aii- 
*'  cestors." 

Whether  this  most  ancient  empire  among  men  "v^ill  long 
continue  in  its  stability  and  integrity  can  only  be  matter  of  con- 
jecture :  but  certain  it  is,  the  Chinese  are  greatly  dissatisfied, 
and  not  without  reason,  at  the  imperious  tone  now  openly  as- 
sumed b}'  the  Tartars :  and  though  they  are  obliged  to  cringe 
and  submit,  in  order  to  rise  to  any  distinction  in  the  state,  }  et 
they  unanimously  load  them  -w  ith 

"  Curses,  not  loud,  but  deep,  mouth-lioncm-  breath."* 

Whenever  the  dismembcniient  or  dislocation  of  this  great  ma- 
chine shall  take  place,  either  by  a  rebellion  or  revolution,  it 
must  be  at  the  expense  of  many  millions  of  lives.  For,  as  is 
well  observed  by  Lord  Macartne}-,  '*  A  sudden  transition  from 
*'  slavery  to  freedom,  from  dependence  to  authority,  can  sel- 
*'  dom  be  borne  "with  moderation  or  discretion.  Every  change 
"  in  the  state  of  man  ou^-ht  to  be  c:entle  and  2:i"adiini,  other- 
"  Wise  it  IS  commonly  diuigerous  to  himself,  aiid  intolerable 
"  to  others-  A  due  preparation  may  be  as  necessary  for  li- 
*'  berty  as  for  inoculation  of  the  smali-pox,  ^Ahich,  like  liberty, 
"  is  future  health,  but,  A^ithout  due  preparation,  is  almost  cer- 
*' tain  destruction.  Thus,  then,  the  Chinese,  if  not  led  to 
"  emancipation  by  degrees,  but  let  loose  on  a  burst  of  euthii- 
*'  siasm,  v/ould  probably  fall  into  all  the  excesses  of  folly,  suf- 
"  fer  all  the  paroxysms  of  madness,  and  be  found  as  unfit  for 
*'  the  enjoyment  of  rational  freedom  as  the  French  and  the 
"  negroes." 

*  The  last  accounts,  indeed,  that  have  been  received  from  China,  arc 
rather  of  an  alarming  nature.  A  very  serious  rebellion  had  broken  out 
ill  the  western  pro\'inces,  Vv'hich  had  eixtendcd  to  that  of  Canton,  the  ob- 
iect  of  whicli  v.'as  the  overthrov/  of  the  Tartar  government.  It  was  known 
for  some  years  past,  as  I  before  observed,  that  certain  secret  societies  were 
ibrmiug  in  the  different  provinces,  who  corresponded  together  by  un- 
known signs,  agreed  upon  by  convention ;  but  they  vvcre  not  considered 
to  be  of  that  extent  as  to  cause  any  uneasiness  to  tlie  government.  It 
appears,  however,  that  not  fewer  than  forty  thousand  men  had  assembled 
in  arms  in  the  province  of  Canton,  at  the  head  of  wh.om  v/as  a  man  of  the 
family  of  the  last  Chinese  emperor,  who  had  assumed  the  im'perial  yel- 
low. These  rebels,  it  seems,  are  considerably  encouratjcd  in  their  cause 
by  a  prophecy,  which  is  current  among  the  people,  that  the  present 
Tartar  dynasty  shall  be  overturned  in  the  year  ISO'k  The  existence  of 
such  a  prophecy  may  be  m.ore  dangerous  to  the  Tartar  government  than 
the  arms  of  the  rebels,  by  assisting  to  bring  about  its  oM'n  accomplish- 
ment. 


CHAP.  VIII. 


CONJECTURES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  CHINESE.— THEIR  RE- 
LIGIOUS  SECTS— TENETS— AND  CEREMONIES. 


Embassy  departs  from  Pekin,  and  is  lodged  in  a  Temple. — Colony  from  Egj-pt  not 
necessary  to  be  supposed,  in  order  to  account  for  Egyptian  Mytliology  in  China. 
—Opinions  concerning  Chinese  Origin. — Observations  on  the  Heights  of  Tar- 
tary. — Probably  the  Resting-place  of  the  Ark.  of  Noah. — Ancients  ignorant  of 
the  Chinese. — Seres. — First  known  Intercourse  of  Foreigners  with  China.— 
Jews. — Budhists. — Nestorians. — Mahomedans. — Roman  Catholics.— QuaiTeU 
of  the  Jesuits  and  Dominicans. — Religion  of  Confucius. — Attached  to  tlie  Pre- 
diction of  futui'e  Events. — Notions  entertained  by  him  of  a  future  State. — Of 
the  Deity. — Doctrine  not  unlike  that  of  the  Stoics. — Ceremonies  in  Honour  of 
his  Memory  led  to  Idolatry. — Misrepresentations  of  the  Missionaries  with  re- 
gard to  the  Religion  of  the  Chinese. — The  To-atze,  or  Sons  of  Immortals. — 
Their  Beverage  of  Life. — The  Disciples  of  Fo  or  Budhists. — Comparison  of 
some  of  tlie  Hindu,  Greek,  Egyptian,  and  Chinese  Deities. — The  Lotos  or 
Nelumbium. — Story  of  Osiris  and  Isis,  and  the  Isia  compared  with  the  Imperial 
Ceremony  of  Ploughing. — Women  visit  the  Temples. — Practical  Part  of  Chi- 
nese Religion. — Funeral  Obsequies. — Feast  of  Lanterns. — Obeisance  to  the 
Emperor  performed  in  the  Temple  leads  to  Idolatry. — Primitive  Reli^on  lost 
•r  eorrupfted. — Summary  of  Chinese  Religion. 

THE  suspicious  and  watchful  conduct  of  the  Chinese 
government  towaixls  strangers  was  ill  suited  to  the  free  and 
independent  spirit  of  Britons.  Confined  within  the  limits  of 
their  hotel,  the  populous  capital  of  China  was  to  them  little 
better  than  a  desert.  It  was,  therefore,  less  painful  to  be 
obliged  to  quit  a  place  which  they  could  consider  in  no  other 
light  than  as  an  honourable  prison,  and  to  take  leave  of  a  peo- 
ple, whose  general  character  seemed  to  be  strongly  maiked 
with  pride,  meanness,  and  ignorance.  After  having  passed 
some  time  in  a  nation  w  here  every  petty  officer  is  a  tyrant  and 
every  man  a  slave,  how  doubly  precious  do  the  blessings  of 
that  true  liberty  appear,  which  our  happy  constitution  affords 
to  every  one  ilic  means  of  enjo}'ing  at  home  ;  where  property 
is  secured  from  \  iolence,  and  where  tlie  life  of  the  meanest 

N  n 


282  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

subject  is  equally  protected  with  that  of  the  prince.  Let  those 
visionaiy  men,  \\'ho  amuse  themselves  in  building  Utopian 
governments,  and  those  \\  ho,  from  real  or  fancied  injury  or 
neglect,  feel  the  chagrin  of  disappointment,  visit  other  coun- 
tries, and  experience  how  justice  is  administered  in  otlier  na- 
tions ;  they  ^vill  then  be  taught  to  confess  that  real  liberty  ex- 
ists only  in  Great-Britain — hi  that  happy  island  ^\  here,  to  use 
tlie  expression  of  an  eminent  writer  on  the  laws  of  nations,* 
"  an  enlightened  piety  in  the  people  is  the  firmest  support  of 
*'  lawful  authority ;  and,  hi  the  so^•ercign's  breast,  it  is  the 
"  pledge  of  the  people's  safety,  and  excites  their  confidence." 

Imj  rcsscd  with  such  sentiments,  on  tlie  evening  of  the  7th 
of  October,  I  rede  through  tlie  streets  of  Pekin,  fortlie  lasttime, 
in  company  -^vith  Mr.  Maxwell.  V/e  were  quite  alone  ;  not  a 
single  Chinese  servant,  nor  soldier,  nor  officer  to  conduct  us  j 
yet  we  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  our  way.  We  passed 
through  the  broad  streets  of  this  capital  from  one  extremity  to 
the  other  without  the  least  molestation,  or,  indeed,  the  least  no- 
tice. We  could  not  forbear  remarking  the  extraordinaiy  con- 
trast, that  the  two  gTcatest  cities  in  the  world  exhibited  at  this 
hour  of  the  day.  hi  the  public  streets  of  Pekin,  after  five  or 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  scarcely  a  human  creature  is  seen  to 
move ;  butthey  abound  witli  dogs  and  swine.  All  its  inhabitants, 
having  finished  the  business  of  the  da}'-,  are  noi^^  retired  to  their 
respective  homes,  to  eat  their  rice  and,  agreeably  with  the  cus- 
tom of  their  great  emperor,  which  to  them  is  a  la^v,  to  lie 
dovvn  with  the  setting  sun :  at  which  time,  in  London,  the  crowd 
is  so  great  from  Hyde-Park  corner  to  Mile-end,  as  to  inter- 
rupt each  other.  In  Pekin,  from  the  moment  the  day  begins 
to  dawn,  the  buzz  and  the  bustle  of  the  populace  is  lilvc  that 
of  a  swarm  of  bees ;  whilst,  on  the  contrary,  the  streets  of  Lon- 
don at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  are  nearly  deserted.  At 
eight  in  the  e^'ening,  even  in  summer,  the  gates  of  Pekin  are 
shut,  and  the  keys  sent  to  the  governor  ;  after  which  they  can- 
not be  opened,  on  any  consideration. 

The  embassador  and  the  rest  of  the  suite,  with  the  soldiers, 
servants,  and  musicians,  had,  several  hours  before  us,  set  out  in 
a  sort  of  procession,  in  which  an  officer  of  government  on  horse- 
back took  the  lead,  Avith  the  letter  of  the  emperor  of  China  to 
the  king  of  England  slung  across  his  shoulders,  in  a  wooden 

*  Vattel. 


k 


TRAVELS  IN  CHIN^.  283 

case  covered  with  yellow  silk.  At  a  late  hour  in  the  night,  we 
joined  the  rest  of  the  party  in  the  suburbs  of  Tong-tclioo-foo, 
where  we  were  once  more  lodged  among  the  gods  of  the  nation, 
in  a  temple  that  was  consecrated  to  the  patronizing  deity  ot'  the 
city.  There  are  no  inns  in  any  part  of  this  vast  empire  ;  or,  to 
speak  more  correctly  (for  there  ai^e  resting-places,)  no  inhabited 
and  furnished  houses,  where,  in  consideration  of  paying  a  certain 
sum  of  money,  a  ti-a\'eller  may  purchase  the  refreshments  of 
comfortable  rest,  and  of  allaying  the  calls  of  hunger.  The 
state  of  society  admits  of  no  such  accommodation,  and  much 
less  such  as,  in  many  countries,  proceeds  from  a  spirit  of  disin- 
terested hospitality  :  on  the  contrary,  in  tliis  country,  they  in- 
variably shut  their  doors  against  a  stranger,  ^^''hat  the}^  call 
inns  are  mean  hovels,  consisting  of  baie  walls  ^vhc^e,  perhaps, 
a  traveller  may  procure  his  cup  of  tea  for  a  piece  of  copper 
money,  and  permission  to  pass  the  night;  but  this  is  the  extent 
of  the  comforts  which  such  places  hold  out.  The  practice,  in- 
deed, of  travelling  by  land  is  so  rai-e,  except  occasionally  in  those 
parts  of  the  country  \\  hich  admit  not  tine  convenience  of  inland 
navigations,  or  at  such  times  when  tliesc  arc  frozen  up,  diat  the 
profits  Mhich  might  arise  from  the  entertainment  of  passengers 
could  not  support  a  house  of  decent  accommodation.  The 
officers  of  state  invaiiably  make  use  of  the  convcnicncies  which 
the  temples  offer,  as  being  superior  to  any  other  which  the 
country  affords ;  and  the  priests,  ^^^ll  knowing  how  vain  it 
M'ould  be  to  resist,  or  remonstrate,  patiently  submit,  and  resign 
the  temporar}'  use  of  their  a])artments  \\ithout  a  miu'mur. 

In  most  counti'ies  of  tlie  civilized  ^\"orld,  the  buildings  appror 
priated  for  religious  worship  and  the  repositories  of  their  gods, 
are  generally  held  sacred.  In  the  monasteries  of  those  paits  of 
ilurope,  where  inns  are  not  to  be  found,  the  apaitments  of  the 
monks  are  sometimes  resorted  to  by  travellers;  but,  in  China,  the 
xcry  sanctum  sanctorinn  is  in\'aded.  Every  corner  is  indiscrimi- 
nately occupied  by  men  in  po^\'er,  if  they  should  require  it. 
Sometimes,  also,  the  \\hole  building  is  made  a  commonplace 
of  resort  for  \-agrants  and  idlers,  ^^■here  gamblers  mix  \\'ith  gods, 
and  priests  with  pick-pockets.  Injustice,  however,  it  must  be 
obser^'ed,  that  the  priests  of  the  two  popular  religions  v/hich 
predominate  in  the  country  shew  no  inclination  to  encourage, 
i:)y  joining  in,  the  vicious  practices  of  the  rabble  ;  but  having 
no  pay  or  emolument  from  the  governm.ent,  and  being  rather 
tolerated  than  supported,  diey  aie  obliged  to  submit  to,  and 


284  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA, 

to  overlook,  abuses  of  tliis  nature,  and  even  to  allow  the  profane 
practices  of  the  rabble  in  the  ver}^  hours  of  their  devotion.  Yet 
there  is  a  decency  of  behaviour,  a  sort  of  pride  and  dignity  in 
the  deportment  of  a  Chinese  priest,  that  readily  distinguish 
him  from  the  vulgar.  The  calumnies,  which  some  of  the 
Roman  catholic  missionaries  have  so  industriously  circulated 
against  them,  seem  to  have  no  foundation  in  truth.  The  near 
resemblance  of  their  dress,  and  holy  rites,  to  those  of  their  own 
faith,  was  so  mortifying  a  circumstance,  that  none  of  the  mis- 
sionaries I  conversed  with,  could  speak  with  temper  of  the  priests 
of  China.  I  could  not  even  prevail  on  our  interpreter  of  the 
Propaganda  Fide,  who  still  manifested  a  predilection  for  the 
customs  of  his  country,  in  every  other  respect,  to  step  into  the 
temple  where  the  altar  ^^'as  placed  :  nor  could  he  be  induced, 
by  any  persuasion,  to  give  or  to  ask  an  explanation  of  their 
mysterious  doctrines. 

There  is  no  subject,  perhaps,  on  which  a  traveller  ought  to 
speak  with  less  confidence,  than  on  the  religious  opinions  of 
the  people  he  may  chance  to  visit,  in  countries  out  of  Eu- 
rope ;  especially  when  those  opinions  are  grounded  on  a  very 
remote  antiquity.  The  allegorical  allusions,  in  which  they 
might  originally  have  been  involved,  the  various  changes  they 
may  since  have  undergone,  the  ceremonies  and  types  under 
which  they  are  still  exhibited,  in  theii*  modem  cb'ess,  render 
them  so  wholly  unintelligible,  tliat,  although  they  may  have 
been  fcfimded  in  truth  and  reason,  they  now  appear  absurd  and 
ridiculous ;  equally  inexplicable  by  the  people  themselves  who 
confess  them,  as  by  those  who  are  utter  strangers.  The  various 
modes,  indeed,  under  which  the  Creator  and  Ruler  of  tlie  uni- 
verse is  recognised  by  various  nations,  all  tending  to  one  point, 
but  setting  out  in  very  different  directions,  can  only  be  under- 
stood and  reconciled  by  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  language, 
the  history,  and  the  habits  of  the  people ;  of  their  origin  and 
connexions  with  other  nations  :  and,  even  after  such  know- 
ledge has  been  obtained,  it  is  no  easy  task  to  separate  fable  from 
metaphor,  and  truth  from  fiction.  For  these  reasons,  the  reli- 
gion of  China  appeal's  to  be  fully  as  obscure  and  inexplicable 
as  that  of  almost  any  other  of  the  Oriental  nations.  The  lan- 
guage of  the  countr}^,  added  to  the  jealousy  of  the  government, 
in  admitting  foreigners,  ha.ve  thrown  almost  insuperable  ob- 
stacles in  the  way  of  clearing  up  this  intricate  subject ;  and  those 
few,  who  only  havp  had  opportunities  of  overcoming  these  diflS- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  Z95 

culties,  were  unfortunately  men  of  that  class,  uhose  opinions 
were  so  warped  by  the  prejudices  imbibed  ^vith  the  tenets  of 
their  own  religion,  that  the  accounts  given  by  them  are  not  iil- 
ways  to  be  depended  upon.  As  I  ha\'e  already  observed,  they 
cannot  bring  diemselves  to  speak  or  to  write  of  the  priests 
of  China  with  any  degree  of  temper  or  moderation. 

It  would  be  presumptuous  in  me  to  suppose,  for  a  moment, 
that  I  am  qualified  to  remove  the  veil  of  darkness  that  covers 
the  popular  religion  of  China.  But  as,  in  the  practice  of  this 
religion,  it  is  impossible  not  to  discover  a  common  origin  witli 
the  systems  of  other  nations,  in  ancient  times,  it  may  not  be 
improper  to  introduce  a  few  remarks  on  tlie  subject,  and  to 
enquire,  if  history  will  not  enable  us  to  point  out,  in  what  man- 
ner they  might  h^ve  received  or  communicated  the  supersti- 
tions and  metaphysical  ideas  that  seem  to  pre\'ail  among  tliem. 
The  obvious  coincidence  between  some  paits  of  the  mytholo- 
gical doctrines  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  and  Greeks,  with 
those  of  China,  induced  tlic  learned  Monsieur  de  Guignes, 
and  many  of  the  Jesuits,  to  infer  that  a  colony  from  Egypt, 
at  some  remote  period,  had  passed  into  China.  This  howev- 
er, does  not  appear  probable.  The  Chinese  are  not  a  mixed, 
but  a  distinct,  race  of  men  ;  and  their  countenance  has  no- 
diing  of  the  ancient  Egyptian  in  it.  Nor,  indeed,  is  it  neces- 
sary to  suppose  any  such  connection,  in  order  to  explain  the 
vestiges  of  Eg}-ptian  mytholog}^  that  may  appeal*  in  their  tem- 
ples. We  are  informed,  by  histor}-,  that  when  Alexander 
marched  into  India,  about  three  centuries  before  the  birth  of 
Christ,  many  learned  Greeks  accompanied  him  on  this  me- 
morable expedition  ;  and  we  ai'e  further  informed  that,  two 
centuries  after  this  period,  when  the  persecutions  and  cruelties 
of  Ptolemy  Physcon  expelled  great  numbers  of  learned  and 
pious  Greeks  and  EgAptians  from  the  cit}^  of  Alexandria, 
they  travelled  eastward,  in  search  of  an  asylum  among  the 
Persians  and  the  Indians :  so  that  there  is  nothing  extraordi- 
na.ry  in  meeting  with  Greek  and  Egyptian  superstitions  among 
nations  of  the  East ;  even  w  here  no  vestige  of  their  language 
remains.  For  it  may  be  observed  that,  whenever  colonies 
emigrate  from  their  o^\Tl  country,  and  sctdc  among  strangers, 
they  are  much  more  apt  to  lose  their  native  language  than 
their  religious  dogmas  and  superstitious  notions.  Necessity, 
indeed,  may  compel  them  to  adopt  the  language  of  the  new 
f:ountry  into  which  they  Ivxve  emigrated ;  but  any  compulsi\'c 


286  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

measures,  to  draw  them  to  another  religion,  serve  only  to 
strengthen  them  in  their  own.  The  French  refugees  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  lost  their  language  in  less  than  seventy 
yeai's  ;  and,  singular  as  it  may  appeal',  I  met  with  a  deserter 
from  one  of  the  Scotch  regiments,  on  the  borders  of  the  Kaf- 
fer  countiy,  ^\'liO  had  so  far  forgot  his  language,  in  the  course 
of  about  three  years,  that  he  Mas  not  able  to  make  himself  in- 
telligible by  it.  Many  languages,  we  know,  have  been  totally 
lost,  and  others  so  changed  as  scarcely  to  preserve  any  traces 
of  their  original  form.* 

Mr.  Bailly,  with  some  other  learned  and  ingenious  men, 
was  of  opinion,  that  many  of  the  fragments  of  the  old  and  ab- 
surd ilibles  of  China,  are  discoverable  in  the  ancient  histor}^  of 
the  Hindus,  from  the  birth  of  Fo-shee,  the  founder  of  the  em- 
pire (Fo-hi,  as  the  French  write  the  word),  until  the  introduc- 
tion of  Budhia,  or  Fo.  Like  the  Hindus,  it  istme,  they  have 
alwa3's  shown  a  remai'kable  predeliction  for  tlie  number  nine. 
Confucius  calls  it  the  most  perfect  of  numbers.  But  the 
Scythians,  or  Tartai's,  have  also  considered  this  as  a  sacred 
number.  It  is  true,  likewise,  they  resemble  some  of  the  In- 
dian nations,  in  the  observance  of  solstitial  and  equinoxial  sa- 
crifices ;  in  mailing  offerings  to  the  manes  of  their  ancestors ; 
in  the  dread  of  leaving  no  offspring  behind  them,  to  pay  the 
customaiy  obsequies  to  their  memoiy;    in  obserA'ing  eight 

*  This  consideration  on  the  transient  nature  of  languages,  and  espe- 
cially of  those  whose  fleeting  sounds  have  never  been  fixed  by  any  graphic 
invention,  makes  it  the  more  surprising  how  Lord  Karnes,  in  his  sketch 
on  the  origin  and  progress  of  American  nations,  after  observing  that  no 
passage  by  land  had  been  discovered  between  America  and  the  old 
■world,  should  have  given  it,  as  his  opinion,  that  an  enquiry,  much  more 
decisive  as  to  the  former  being  peopled  by  the  hitter,  might  be  pursued, 
by  ascertaining  whether  the  same  language  be  spoken  by  the  inhabitants 
on  the  two  sides  of  the  strait  that  divides  the  northern  regions  of  Ame- 
rica. And  that,  after  finding  this  not  to  be  the  case,  he  should  conclude 
that  the  former  had  not  been  peopled  by  the  latter.  Had  not  Lord 
Karnes  written  upon  a  system  of  a  separate  and  local  creation,  pre-estab- 
lished in  his  own  mind,  he  would  unquestionably  have  laid  more  stress 
upon  a  resemblance  in  their  physical  characters,  in  their  sujierstitious 
and  religious  notions,  than  on  similarity  of  language  ;  which,  among 
the  many  acquirements  of  the  human  species,  or  of  human  institution, 
is  not  the  least  liablcto  change  by  a  change  of  situation,  especially  where 
no  written  character  has  been  employed  to  fix  it.  His  lordship's  con- 
clusion is  the  more  extraordinary,  as  he  had  already  observed  that  the 
resemblance  between  them  was  perfect  in  every  other  respect. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  287 

cardinal  or  principal  points  of  the  world ;  in  the  division  of 
the  zodiac,  and  in  a  variety  of  otlicr  coincidences,  ^\"luch  th.c 
leai'ned  Mr.  Bryant  accounts  for  by  supposing  the  Egyptians, 
Greeks,  Romans,  and  Indians,  to  be  derived  from  one  com- 
mon stock,  and  that  some  of  these  people  carried  their  rclip;ion 
and  their  learning  into  China.  No  proof,  however,  is  adduc- 
ed, eitlier  by  him  or  others,  of  such  a  commission ;  and  an 
assertion  directly  to  the  contrar}-  might  have  been  made  Vvith 
equal  plausibility. 

1  hat  the  Chinese  do  not  OA\'e  their  origin  to  the  same  stock, 
their  ph}sical  character  is  of  itself  a  sufficient  proof.  The 
small  eye,  rounded  at  the  exti'cmity  next  the  nose,  instead 
of  being  angulai',  as  is  the  case  in  that  of  Europeans,  its 
oblique  instead  of  horizontal  position,  and  the  flat  and  broad 
root  of  tlie  nose,  ai"e  features  or  characters  entirely  distinct 
from  the  Hindu,  the  Greek,  or  the  Roman;  and  belong  more 
properly  to  the  natives  of  that  vast  extent  of  coimtry,  Vvhich 
was  known  to  die  ancients  by  tlie  name  of  Scythia,  and,  in 
modern  times,  by  tliat  of  Tartary.  There  is  scarcely  in 
nature  two  of  the  human  species  that  diiTer  more  widely  than 
a  Cliinese  and  a  Hindu,  setting  aside  the  difference  of  colour, 
which,  liowe\er,  modern  enquiries  have  determined  to  ha\e 
little  or  no  relation  to  climate,  but  rather  to  some  original 
formation  of  the  different  species.  The  Man-tchoo,  and, 
indeed,  all  the  other  TartiU'  tribes,  bordering  upon  China, 
are  scarcely  distinguishable  from  die  Chinese.  The  same 
colour,  except  in  a  fev/  instances,  as  I  ha\e  elsewhere  ob- 
served, tJie  same  eyes,  and  general  turn  cf  the  countenance, 
prevail,  on  the  continent  of  Asia,  from  the  tropic  of  Cancer 
to  the  Frozen  Ocean.*  I'he  peninsula  of  Malacca,  and  the 
vast  multitude  of  islands  spread  over  the  eastern  seas,  and 
inhabited  by  the  Malays,  as  well  as  those  of  Japan  and  Lieou- 
kieou,  ha\e  clearly  been  peoj^led  from  the  same  common 
stock.  The  first  race  of  people  to  tlie  north^vard  of  Hindos- 
tan,  that  possess  the  Tartai*  countenance,  so  different  from 
that  of  tliC  Hindus,  are  the  inhabitants  of  Bootan.     "  The 

*  It  is  sufficiently  remavkable,  that  the  emperor  Kaung-Shee,  in  giving 
by  public  edict,  some  account  to  his  subjects  of  the  different  nations  of 
Asia  and  Europe,  should  make  the  following  observation.  "  To  the 
*'  southward  of  the  Cossack  country  a  horde  of  Hoo-tse  (Turks)  is  es- 
"  tablished,  who  are  descended  from  the  same  stock  with  Yuen-tay-tse. 
'*  formerly  emperors  of  China." 


288  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

"  Bootceas,"  says  captain  Turner,  "  have  invariably  black 
"  hair,  which  it  is  their  fashion  to  cut  short  to  the  head. 
"  The  eye  is  a  very  remarkable  feature  of  the  face ;  small, 
"  black,  with  long  pointed  corners,*  as  though  stretched  and 
*'  extended  by  artificial  means.  Their  eye-lashes  ai-e  so  thin 
"as  to  be  scaixely  perceptible,  and  the  eye-brow  is  but 
"  slightly  shaded.  Below  the  eyes  is  the  broadest  part  of  the 
"  face,  which  is  rather  fiat,  and  narrows  from  the  cheek-bones 
"  to  the  chin;  a  character  of  countenance  appearing  first  to 
*'  take  its  rise  among  the  Tai-tai'  tribes,  but  is  far  more  strongly 
*'  marked  in  the  Chinese." 

The  heights  of  Tartaiy,  bulging  out  be}^ond  the  generd 
surface  of  the  globe,  haA-e  been  considered,  indeed,  by  many, 
as  the  cradle  of  the  human  species,  or,  still  more  emphatically, 
and  perhaps  more  properly,  as  the  foundeiy  of  the  human 
race.  This  opinion  did  not  arise  solely  from  the  vast  mul- 
titudes of  people  corresponding  with  the  Tartar  character, 
that  are  spread  over  every  pait  of  the  eastern  world,  and  who 
in  countless  swarms  once  over-ran  all  Europe,  but  was 
grounded  on  a  supposition,  that  the  whole  surface  of  the  globe, 
or  the  greater  part  of  it,  has  at  one  time  been  submersed  in 
water,  and  that  Tartary  was  the  last  to  be  covered,  and  the 
first  that  was  uncovered;  and  the  place  from  whence,  of 
course,  a  ncAv  set  of  creatures  were  forged,  as  in  a  workshop, 
from  some  remnant  of  the  old  stock,  to  be  the  geims  of 
future  nations. 

Almost  every  part  of  the  earth,  indeed,  afibrds  the  most 
imequivocal  indications  that  such  has  actually  been  the  case, 
not  only  in  the  several  marine  productions  that  have  been 
discovered  in  high  mountains,  at  a  distance  from  any  sea, 
and  equally  deep  under  the  surface  of  the  earth ;  but  more 
especially  in  the  formation  of  the  mountains  themselves,  the 
\-crv  highest  of  which,  except  those  of  granite,  consisting 
frequently  of  tabular  masses  piled  on  each  other  in  such  regu- 
lar and  horizontal  strata,  that  their  shape  and  a]opearance  can- 
not be  otherwise  accounted  for,  or  explained  by  any  known 
])nnciple  in  nature,  except  by  supposing  them  atone  time  to 
liave  existed  in  a  state  of  fluidity,  by  the  agency  of  fire  or 
of  \vatcr ;  a  point  which  seems  to  be  not  quite  decided  between 

*  The  exterior  angles  arc  here  meant,  uhicli,  in  the  Chinese  also,  are  ex- 
t-cii  JccI  in  the  same  er  a  greater  proportion  than  the  interior  ones  are  roimded  off. 


i 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  289 

Volcanists  and  the  Neptunists.  The  heights  of  Tai-tary  are 
unquestionably  tlie  liighcst  land  in  the  old  world.  In  America 
tliey  may,  perhaps,  be  exceeded.  Gerbillon,  who  was  a 
tolerably  good  mathematician,  and  furnished  A\ith  instiTi- 
ments,  assures  us,  that  the  mountain  Pe-tcha,  very  inferior 
to  many  in  Tartary,  is  nine  Chinese  lees,  or  about  fifteen 
thousand  feet,  above  the  level  of  the  plains  of  China.  This 
mountain,  as  well  as  all  the  otlicrs  in  die  same  countr)-,  is 
comppsed  of  sand-stone,  and  rests  upon  plains  of  siuid,  mixed 
with  rock-salt  imd  saltpetre.  The  Sha-moo,  or  immense 
desart  of  sand,  which  stretches  along  die  nordi-west  frontier 
of  China,  and  divides  it  from  western  Taitary,  is  not  less 
elevated  than  the  Pe-tcha,  and  is  said  to  resemble  the  bed  of 
the  ocean.  Some  of  the  mountains,  starting  out  of  this  sea 
of  sand,  which  its  name  implies,  cannot  be  less  dian  tA\  enty 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  eastern  ocean. 

The  formation  of  the  eardi  affords  a  wide  field  for  specula- 
tion; and,  accordingly,  many  ingenious  theories  have  been 
conceived  to  explain  the  various  appeimmccs  which  its  siuface 
exhibits.  The  best  modem  naturalists  seem,  however,  to 
agree,  that  water  has  been  one  of  the  principal  agents  to 
produce  Uiese  efi'ects.  The  great  Linnasus,  whose  penetrating 
mind  pervaded  the  whole  empiie  of  nature,  after  many  and 
laborious  enquiries,  acquiesced  in  the  truth  of  the  sacred 
writings,  that  the  whole  globe  of  the  earth  was,  at  some 
period  of  time,  submersed  in  water,  and  covered  witli  die  \'ast 
ocean,  until,  in  the  lapse  of  time,  one  little  island  appeared 
in  this  immense  sea ;  which  island  must  have  been  of  course 
the  higliest  mountain  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth.  In  sup- 
port of  his  hypothesis,  he  adduces  a  number  of  facts  (many 
of  which  have  fallen  within  his  own  obscr\ation)  of  the  pro- 
gressive retreat  of  the  sea,  the  diminution  of  springs  and 
rivers,  and  the  necessary  increment  of  land.  Among  the 
most  remarkable  of  these  are  the  obscr\'ations,  made  by  the 
inlxibitants  of  Northern  Bothnia,  upon  the  rocks  on  the  sea- 
coast,  from  whence  it  aj^peared  that,  in  the  course  of  a  cen- 
tury, the  sea  had  subsided  more  than  four  feet ;  so  that  six 
thousand  }'ears  ago,  suppo^iing  the  rate  of  retirement  to  have 
been  the  same,  the  sea  Wiis  higher  than  at  present,  by  two 
lumdred  and  forty  feet.  Such  great  and  sensible  depression 
of  the  water  of  the  sea  must,  however,  have  been  only  local; 
otherwise,  as  I  have  elsewhere  observed,  the  Red  Sea  and 

o  o 


290  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

the  Mediterranean  would  have  joined  within  the  period  of 
histor}^     The  sea,  it  is  ti*ue,  in  some  parts  of  the  M'orld, 
gains  upon  the  land,  and  in  others  the  land  upon  the  sea ; 
but  these  effects  ai'ise  from  a  different  cause  from  that  which 
is  supposed  to  produce  a  general  retreat.     It  is  true,  also, 
that  in  the  neighbourhood  of  mountains  and  great  ri^'ers, 
very  material  changes  ha\  e  taken  place,  in  the  course  6f  a 
fe\v  ages.     The  fragments  of  the  former,  worn  a^vay  by  the 
alternate  action  of  the  sun  and  rains,  are  borne  down  by  the 
torrents  of  the  latter,  and  deposited  in  the  eddies  formed  by 
the  two  banks  of  the  rivers  \\'here  they  join  the  sea,  pro- 
ducing thus  alluvions  land,    as,  for  example,  the  Delta  of 
■^to^'P^'  which  has  gi'adually  been  deposited  out  of  the  soil 
of  Abyssinia  and  Upper  Eg}'pt;  the  plains  of  the  northern 
pails  of  China,  which  hav^  been  formed  out  of  the  mountains, 
of  Tartary  ;  tmd  those  of  India  from  the  Thebetian  mountains, 
and  the  other  high  lands  to  the  northward  and  westward  of 
the  peninsula.     As,  however,  a  much  greater  proportion  of 
the  fragments,  borne  down  by  rivers,  must  be  deposited  in 
the  bosom  of  the  deep  than  on  its  shores,  the  sea,  by  this 
constant  and  eifective  operation,  ought  rather  to  advance  than 
to   retreat.      We    may  therefore,    perhaps,   conclude  that, 
whatever  the  changes  may  liave  been  \Ahich  the  surface  of  the 
earth  has  undergone,  with  regard  to  the  proportion  and  the 
position  of  land  and  v»'ater,  the  appearances  we  now  behold, 
in  various  parts  of  the  globe,  can  only  be  explained  by  sup- 
posing some  temporary^  and  preternatural  cause,  or  else  by 
assuming  an  incalculable  period  of  time  for  their  production. 
But,  to  return  from  this  digression  to  the  more  immediate 
subject  of  the  present  section.     It  is  sufficiently  remarkable, 
and  no  inconsiderable  proof  of  the  truth  of  the  sacred  'vvritings, 
that  almost  every  nation  has  some  traditionary  account  of  a  de- 
luge ;  some  making  it  universal,  and  others  local :  presuming, 
however,  the  former  to  be  correct,  which  is  not  only  justified 
by  the  testimony  of  the  author  of  the  Pentateuch,  but,  by  na- 
tural appearances,  it  might,  perhaps,  be  shown,  \vith  no  gi-eat 
deviation  from  the  generally  recei\'ed  opinion,  that,  instead  of 
Persia  being  the  hive  in  which  wsls  preserved  a  remnantof  the 
ancient  world  for  the  continuation  of  the  species,  those  A\-ho 
have  supposed  Tartary  to  ht  the  cradle,  from  whence  the  pre- 
^iient  race  of  men  issued,  have  adopted  the  more  plausible  con- 
j-.^cture.    If  it  be  borne  in  mind  that,  in  every  pc\it  of  tlie  Bi!:>lc 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  291 

Iiistor}'',  the  expressions  are  accommodated  to  the  understand- 
ings of  those  lor  A\hom  they  Mere  intended,  radier  Uian  strictly 
conformable  to  facts,  and  more  consonant  to  appeiu "ances  than 
rccilities,  it  may  be  supposed,  widiout  an}-  offence  to  the  most 
rigid  believer,  that  by  the  mount  Ararat  was  not  strictly  meant 
the  identical  mountain  of  diat  name,  ^\hich  has  been  recog- 
nized in  Armenia,  but  rather  die  highest  mouiiUiin  on  the  face 
of  the  globe  :  for,  if  this  Mere  not  the  case,  the  Mosaic  account 
would  be  contradictory  in  itself,  as  we  ai-e  told  that,  "  all  the 
"  high  hills  that  were  under  the  whole  Heaven  Mere  co\-ered." 
This  concession  being  allowed,  \vc  mav  suppose  diat  die  ark, 
instead  of  resting  in  Armenia,  first  struck  ground  in  diat  part 
of  Tartary  M'hich  is  now  inhabited  by  the  Eleudis,  as  being  the 
most  ele^•ated  tract  of  country  in  the  old  world.  From  these 
heights  large  rivers  flow  toAvards  every  quarter  of  the  horizon. 
It  is  here  that  the  sources  of  the  Sclenga  are  found,  descending 
to  the  nordiward  into  the  lake  Baikal,  and  from  thence  b)^  the 
Knesei  and  the  Lena  hito  the  Frozen  Ocean :  of  the  Amour, 
whicli  empties  its  A\-aters  to  the  eastward  into  the  gulph  of  Tar-, 
tiiry :  of  the  tw^o  great  rivers  of  China,  fioM'ing  to  die  south- 
wai'd,  and  of  numberless  lakes  find  yixcyh  dischai'ging  their 
w aters  to  the  M-estward ;  some  burying  themsches  in  deserts 
(jf  sand,  and  otliers  working  their  way  to  die  great  lake  of  Aral 
and  the  Casjiian  sea. 

From  such  a  situation,  admitting  the  eardi  to  liaAC  been 
peopled  in  succession,  the  tM^o  great  rivers,  Mhich  took  the 
southerly  direction,  and  crossed  the  fertile  and  extensive  plains 
of  China,  Mere  fully  as  likeh'  to  direct  the  fcM'  survivors  of 
the  deluge  to  this  country,  as  that  they  should  follo^v  any  of 
die  odier  streams :  and,  probably,  more  so,  as  these  led  to  a 
warmer  and  more  comfortable  climate,  Avliere  fewer  Awants 
Mere  felt,  and  those  few  more  easily  supplied.  Considered 
in  this  point  of  \  ieM%  the  opinion  of  the  Jesuits  Mill  not  appear 
so  ill  founded,  Mhicli  supposes  that  Noah,  separating  from  his 
rebellious  family,  ti-avelled  Mith  a  part  of  liis  offspi-ing  into  die 
east,  and  founded  die  Chinese  monarchy ;  and  that  he  is  the 
same  person  as  the  Foo-shee  *  of  their  histoiy.  The  words 
of  Scri]:)ture,  from  the  east,  an  ingenious  commentator  has 
observed,  ought  more  properly  to  be  translated,  at  the  begin- 

*  As  a  corroboratinj^  proof  of  the  Cliinese  hcinp  of  Sc}lhic  origin,  it  may  be 
observed,  that  the  adjunct  character  Slice  (to  the  family  name  Foo)  is  comjwscd 
of  a  sheep,  rice,  an  arrow,  and  the  conjunctive  character  also,  from  whence  rnay 
be  iiiferred  that  he  united  the  occupations  of  shepherd,  Vgricdturist,  and  wan-ioV. 


292  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

ning.  At  all  events,  the  ft^pt  I  conclude  to  be  irresistible,  tliat 
tlie  Taitars  and  the  Chinese  have  one  common  oiigin :  and  the 
question,  then,  is  simply  this.  Whether  the  fertile  plains  of 
China  Avere  abandoned  for  the  bleak  and  baiTen  heights  of 
Tartaiy,  or  that  the  wandering  and  half-famished  Scythians 
descended  into  regions*  whose  temperature  and  productions 
were  more  congenial  to  the  nature  of  man  ? 

If,  however,  we  allow  China  to  have  been  among  the  first 
nations  formed  after  the  flood,  it  does  not  appear  to  have  kept 
pace  in  learning  and  in  arts  with  the  Chaldeans,  the  Assyrians, 
or  the  Egyptians.  Before  tlie  time  of  Confucius,  its  progress 
in  civilization  seems  to  ha^e  been  very  slow.  He  was  the  first 
person  who  digested  any  thing  like  a  history  of  the  kings  of 
Loo :  for,  in  his  time,  the  countr)^  was  divided  among  a  num- 
ber of  petty  princes,  Avho  lived  at  the  head  of  their  families, 
much  in  tlie  same  manner  as  formerly  the  chiefs  of  the  clans 
in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland ;  or,  perhaps,  more  properly 
speaking,  like  the  German  princes,  whose  pett}'  states  ai'e  so 
many  parts  of  one  great  empire.  It  is  now  about  two  thousand 
years  sbice  the  several  monarchies  were  consolidated  in  one 
undi^rided  and  absolute  empire.  There  are  several  reasons  for 
supposing  that,  before  this  period,  China  made  no"  great  figure 
among  the  polished  nations  of  the  world,  altliough  it  produced 
a  Confucius,  some  of  whose  works  demonstrate  a  vigorous 
and  an  enlightened  mind,  From  the  commentaries  of  this 
philosopher,  on  one  of  their  classical  books, ^'  itM'ould  appear 
that  a  regular  succession  of  emperors  could  be  traced  near  two 
thousand  years  back  fi*om  the  present  period.  The  duration  of 
the  dynasties,  Avith  their  several  emperors,  which  he  enumerates, 
and  the  detail  of  occurrences  in  each  reign,  make  the  truth  of 
the  history  sufficiently  plausible,  though  the  chronology,  from 
their  total  ignorance  of  astronomy,  must  necessarily  be  defec- 
tive. It  is  still  an  extraordinary  circumstance,  that  none  of 
the  ancient  classical  authors  should  have  had  the  least  knowr 
ledge  of  such  a  nation.  Homer  neither  mentions  them,  nor 
makes  any  allusion  to  such  a  people ;  and  Herodotus  seems  to 
have  been  equally  ignorant  of  tlieir  existence :  and  yet,  accord- 
ing to  the  best  chronologists,  Herodotus  and  Confucius  must 
have  been  contemporai-ies.  ,It  may  fairly  be  concluded,  then, 
that  the  eai'ly  Greeks  had  no  knowledge  of  the  Chinese.  Even 
more  than  a  century  after  the  father  of  his'tory  flourished,  when 

»  The  Shoo-kinff 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  293 

the  Persian  empire  ^vas  overtliroA^n  by  Alexander,  it  does  not 
appear  that  the  Chinese  were  knoMTi  to  this  nation  ;  which,  in 
all  probabilit}-,  Mould  have  been  the  case,  notwithstanding 
their  aversion  to  any  intercourse  ^\•ith  foreigners,  liad  they  con- 
stituted, at  tliat  time,  a  lai-ge  and  powerful  empire.  Perhaps, 
indeed,  the  ignorance  of  the  Persians  might  arise  from  the  in- 
tervention of  the  civilized  nations  cf  India,  wl)X)se  numbers 
might  have  made  it  prudent,  in  the  former,  to  direct  their  arms 
coi>stantly  towards  the  \\ est  rather  than  to  the  east. 

It  has  been  an  opinion,  pretty  generally  adopted,  that  the 
people  known  to  the  ancients  by  the  name  of  Seres,  were  the 
same  as  the  Chinese ;  partly  on  account  of  their  eastern  situa- 
tion, and  partly  because  the  principal  silk- manufactures  ^vere 
supposed  to  be  brought  from  thence ;  which  ga\e  the  Romans 
occasion  to  name  the  country  Sericum.  The  Romans,  how- 
ever, received  the  ti'ifling  quantity  of  silk  made  use  of  by  them 
from  Persia,  and  not  from  China,  nor  from  the  country  of  the 
Seres.  Nor  is  it  probable  tliat  the  latter  should  be  the  Chinese, 
who  are  said  to  have  sent  an  embassy  to  Augustus,  in  order  to 
court  the  friendship  of  the  Romans ;  it  being  so  Aery  contrarj- 
to  their  fundamental  laws,  which  not  only  prohibit  any  inter- 
course ^vith  strangers,  but  allow  not  an}^  of  the  natives  to  leave 
the  counti*}-.  The  fact,  indeed,  of  this  embassy  rests  solely  upon 
the  authority  of  Lucius  A.  Fiorus,  who  wrote  his  histor}%  if  It 
may  so  be  called,  nearly  a  century  after  the  death  of  Augustus  : 
and,  as  none  of  the  historians,  contemporaiy  with  that  empe- 
ror, take  any  notice  of  such  an  event,  it  is  more  than  probable 
that  no  such  embassy  was  sent  to  Rome.* 

*  Ptolemy,  the  geographer,  places  Serica  adjoining  to  Scythia,  extra 
Imaum,  corresponding  with  Cashgar,  Tangut,  and  Kitai,  countries  fa- 
mous for  the  cultivation  of  the  cotton-plant.  It  would  seem,  indeed) 
from  all  the  passages  which  occur  in  ancient  authors,  concerning  the 
Seres,  that  cotton  was  the  substance  alluded  to,  rather  than  silk,  and  that 
these  people  wei-e  not  the  present  Chinese,  but  the  Tartars  of  Kitai. 

^id  nemora  Ethiopian  molli  canentia  lanaP 
Velleraque  utfoliis  depectant  tcmiia  Seres? 

Virg.  Georg.  ii.  v.  120. 

f^rimique  nova  Phaethonte  retccti 
'Seres  lanigeris  rcpetcbant  vcllcra  lucis. 

Silius  Italicus,  1.  6.  v.  3. 


294  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

The  first  people  that  we  know  to  have  travelled  into  Cliina 
was  a  colony  of  Jews,  ^^•ho,  according  to  the  records  kept  by 
their  descendants,  and  \\  hich  I  understood  fi'om  some  of  the 
missionaries  aie  con'oborated  as  to  the  time  by  the  Chinese 
history,  first  settled  there,  shortly  after  the  expedition  of 
Alexander  had  opened  a  communication  ^vith  Lidia.  Nor  is  it 
at  all  improbable  that  this  adventurous  and  industrious  pcopl'^' 
were  the  first  to  carry  with  them,  into  their  new  country,  the 
silk-worm,  and  the  mode  of  rearing  it,  either  from  Persia,  or 
some  of  tlie  neighbouring  countries.  The  emperor  Kaung- 
shee,  in  his  observations  on  natural  histor}^,  takes  notice  that 
tlie  Chinese  are  greatly  mistaken,  when  tliey  say  that  silk  was 
an  exclusiA'c  product  of  Cliina ;  for  that  the  upper  regions  of 
India  have  a  native  worm,  of  a  larger  gro\vth,  and  which  spins 
a  stronger  silk  than  any  in  China.  Altliough,  indeed,  ancient 
authors  are  silent  as  to  the  article  of  silk,  there  are  grounds  for 
supposing  it  was  not  unknown  in  Tangut  and  Kitai.  SeA^ral 
expressions  in  tlie  Bible  warrant  the  opinion  tliat  silk  ^^■as  used 
in  the  time  of  Solomon,  and  the  vestes  perlucidae  ac  fluidae 
Medis  of  Justin  seem  to  convey  a  description  of  silken  robes. 
This  mode  of  the  first  uitroduction  of  silk  into  China  is  offered 

^lod  mo  Hi  tondeiit  de  st'ipite  Seres 

Frondea  lamgeros  carpeiUes  vellera  SUvce. 

Claudian. 

Seres  lanlficio  Sylvarum  nohlles  perjuscm  aqua  depectentesfron- 
dium  canitie?}2.  Plin.  1.  6.  17. 

Horace  makes  the  Seizes  expert  in  dra\ving  the  bow,  a  weapon  in  the 
use  of  which  the  Scythians  Avere  always  famous. 

Doctus  Sagktas  tendere  Serlcas 
Aral  paterno  7 

Hor.  lib.  i.  Od.  29.  v.  9. 

It  certainly  cannot  be  inferred  that,  by  the  Seres,  in  any  of  the  abovis 
quotations,  was  meant  the  same  people  as  the  present  Chinese  :  on  the 
contrary,  the  probability  is  that  it  did  not  allude  to  this  nation,  and  that 
the  ancients  had  not  the  least  knowledge  of  its  existence.  It  appears, 
from  another  passage  in  Pliny,  that  the  best  iron  in  the  world  was  in 
Sericum,  and  that  the  Seres  exported  it  with  their  cloths  and  skins.  The 
iron  of  the  Chinese,  as  I  have  had  occasion  to  observe,  is  r.emarkably 
bad,  and  all  their  articles  of  peltry  are  imported. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  295 

as  mere  conjecture,  to  sup]X)rt  which  I  haA^e  fio  other  authori- 
ty tliaii  what  is  here  mentioned,  with  the  circumstance  of  the 
Jews  being  settled  chiefly  in  the  silk  provinces,  and  of  their 
being  at  this  time  in  considerable  numbers  neai'  Hang-tchoo- 
foo,  where  they  carry  on  the  principal  trade  in  this  article,  and 
have  accjuired  the  reputation  of  fabricating  the  best  stuffs  of 
this  material  tliat  are  made  in  China :  nor  do  I  know  in  \\hat 
other  way  they  could  recommend  themsehes  to  the  Chinese, 
so  far  as  to  have  obtained  the  protection  of  tliis  jealous  go\'ern- 
mcnt,  and  to  be  allowed  to  intcmiarr}-  with  tlie  A\-omen  of  the 
country.  It  is  true,  they  have  practised  no  underhand  at- 
tempts to  seduce  the  natives  from  their  paternal  religion,  and 
to  persuade  them  to  embrace  their  o^\'n  ;  and,  although  they 
ai'c  not  very  famous  for  the  cultivation  of  the  sciences,  jet  they 
might  have  rendered  themselves  extremely  useful  in  suggest- 
ing improvements  in  many  of  the  aits  and  manufactures. 
Many  of  diem,  indeed,  forsake  the  religion  of  their  forefathers, 
and  arri\  e  at  high  employments  in  die  state.  Few  among 
them,  I  understand,  except  the  Rabbis,  have  any  knowledge 
of  the  Hebrew  language,  and  dicy  ha\'e  long  been  so  inter- 
mixed widi  the  Chinese,  that  the  priests,  at  the  present  day, 
are  said  to  find  some  difficulty  u\  keeping  up  tlieir  congrega- 
tions. So  different  are  the  effects  produced  by  suffering, 
instead  of  persecuting,  religious  opinions. 

One  of  the  missionai'ies  has  given  an  account  of  his  visit 
to  a  synagogue  of  Jews  in  China.  He  found  the  priests  most 
rigorously  attached  to  their  old  law ;  nor  had  they  the  least 
knowledge  of  any  other  Jesus  having  appeared  in  the  world, 
except  the  son  of  Sirach,  of  whom,  he  says,  their  history  makes 
mention.  If  this  be  really  the  fact,  their  ancestors  could  not 
have  been  any  part  of  the  ten  tiibes  that  were  cai'ried  into  ca|i- 
tivity,  but  may  radier  be  supposed  to  have  been  among  the 
follo\vers  of  Alexander's  army,  which  agrees  with  their  own 
account  of  the  time  they  first  settled  in  China.  The}*  possess- 
ed tlie  copy  of  the  Pentateuch  and  some  other  fragments  of 
the  Sacred  Writings,  which  they  had  brought  along  with 
them  fi'om  tlie  westwiird ;  but  the  missionary's  infonnation 
is  very  im4:;erfect,  as  he  was  ignorant  of  tlie  Hebrew  language.  * 

*  All  our  enquiries,  in  passing  the  city  of  Hang-tchoo-foo,  were 
fruitless  with  regard  to  these  Israelites.  "NV^e  had  hitherto  entertained  a 
hope  of  beings  able  to  procure,  in  the  course  of  our  journey,  a  copy  of  this 


296  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

Altlpiigh  a  ver}-  great  similaiity  is  observable  between 
many  of  the  ancient  Je\\  ish  rites  and  ceremonies  and  those  in 
use  among  the  Chinese,  yet  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  for 
supposing  that  the  latter  receiAcd  any  part  of  their  religion 
from  die  ancestors  of  those  Je'\\'s  that  are  still  in  the  countr)^ 
This,  houever,  is  not  the  case  with  regard  to  the  priests  of 
Budha,  who,  according  to  the  Chinese  records,  came  by  the 
invitation  of  one  of  their  emperors  from  some  part  of  India, 
near  Tlubet,  about  the  sixtieth  year  of  the  Christian  sera. 
These  priests  succeeded  so  mcII  in  introducing  the  worship 
of  Budha,  that  it  continues  to  this  day  to  be  one  of  the  popu- 
lar  religions  of  the  country  ;  and  that  no  traces  of  the  original 
name  should  remain  is  the  less  sui^prising,  as  they  could  not 
possibly  pronounce  either  the  B  or  the  D  :  besides,  they  make 
it  an  invariable  rule,  as  I  ha^e  already  obser^'ed,  not  to  adopt 
any  foreign  names. 

In  some  part  of  the  seventh  century,  a  few  christians,  of  the 
Nestorian  sect,  passed  fi^om  India  into  China,  where,  for  a 
time,  they  were  tolerated  by  the  go^•e^lment.  But,  having 
most  probably  presun"ted  upon  its  indulgence,  and  endeavour- 
ed to  seduce  the  people  from  the  established  religions  of  the 
country,  they  were  exposed  to  dreadful  persecutions,  and  were 
at  length  entirely  extirpated,  after  numberless  instances  of 
their  suffering  martyrdom  for  the  opinions  they  had  under- 
ancient  monument  of  the  Jewish  history,  which  the  late  doctor  Geddes 
considered  as  very  desirable  to  compare  with  those  already  in  Europe  ; 
but  the  hasty  manner  in  which  we  travelled,  and  the  repugnance  shewn 
by  our  conducting  officers,  Chou  and  Van  excepted,  who  had  little  pow- 
er or  influence  in  the  provinces,  to  ent^r  into  any  of  our  views,  that  might- 
appear  to  occasion  delay,  prev-ented  the  fulfilment  of  those  hopes.  It 
were  much  to  be  wished,  that  the  reverend  missionaries  would  so  far  lay 
aside  their  antipathy  to  opinions,  not  exactly  coinciding  with  their  own, 
and  enter  into  such  a  correspondence  with  the  Jews  as  would  obtain  from 
them  (which  they  are  no  doubt  possessed  of)  an  account  of  the  progress 
made  by  the  Chinese  in  civilization  and  arts,  since  their  first  settling  in 
that  country,  and  of  other  particulars  noted  down  by  them.  The  cir- 
cumstance of  their  carrying  with  them  their  code  of  laws,  and  the  history 
of  their  tribes,  is  a  sufficient  proof  that  they  understood  a  written  lan- 
guage, which,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  they  would  use  the  utmost  caution 
not  to  lose.  Such  an  account  would  be  more  authentic  than  the  Chinese 
annals,  the  best  of  which  abound  in  hyperbole,  and  contain  facts  so  dis- 
guised in  metaphor,  that  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  extract  from  them  the 
simple  truth.  At  all  events,  the  comparison  of  the  two  histories  would 
serve  to  verify  each  other. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  297 

taken  to  propagate  to  the  "  utmost  comers  of  the  earth."  When 
Gengis-Khan  invaded  China  hi  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  a  number  of  Christians,  of  the  Greek  church,  followed 
his  army  into  this  countiy  :  and  they  met  w  ith  such  great  en- 
couragement from  the  Taitars,  that  when  Kublai-Khan  suc- 
ceeded to  tlie  government,  and  built  the  city  of  Pekin,  he 
gave  them  a  gi-ant  of  ground,  within  the  walls  oftlie  city,  for 
the  purpose  of  building  a  church,  in  order  to  retain  in  the 
empire,  men  of  so  much  learning,  and  of  abilities  so  much 
superior  to  diose  of  the  Chinese ;  who,  howe\er,  on  their 
part,  have  affected,  in  their  history,  to  consider  the  Monguls 
as  the  gi-catest  bai-biuians,  for  turning  their  horses  into  the 
apartments  of  the  palaces,  A\'hile  tliey  themsehes  were  con- 
tented to  pitch  their  tents  in  the  courts  or  quadrangular  spaces 
surrounded  by  the  building-s.  Father  Le  Comptc,  in  his 
memoirs  of  China,  says  (but  I  know  not  on  \\hat  authority) 
that,  at  the  taking  of  the  city  of  Nankin,  the  Tartars  put  all  the 
Chinese  women  m  sacks  a\  ithout  regard  to  age  or  rank,  and  sold 
them  to  the  highest  bidder ;  and  that  such  as,  in  thus  "  buying 
*'  die  pig  in  the  poke,"  happened  to  purchase  an  old,  ugly, 
or  deformed  biu-gain,  made  no  ceremony  in  throvv  ing  it  into 
the  river.  If  father  Le  Compte  was  not  the  inventor  of  this, 
among  many  other  of  his  pleasant  stories,  it  certainly  tells  as 
little  in  favour  of  the  Chinese,  who  must  have  been  die  pur- 
chasers, as  of  the  Tiutars ;  but  we  will  charitiibly  suppose  the 
thing  never  happened.  It  seems,  however,  that  the  o\ertlirow 
of  the  Chinese  empire,  by  the  Mongul  Tartars,  \\*as  an  event 
not  to  be  regi-ettcd  by  the  nation  at  large.  By  micans  of  the 
learned  and  scientific  men,  who  accompanied  the  expedition 
from  Balk  and  Samaicand,  astronomy  Mas  impro\ed,  their 
calendar  was  coirected,  insti-uments  for  making  celestial  ob- 
servations were  intioduced,  and  the  direct  communication  be- 
tween the  two  exti-emities  of  the  empire  w^s  opened,  by  con- 
verting the  streams  of  rivers  into  an  artificial  bed,  forming  an 
inland  navigation,  not  to  be  paralleled  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world. 

It  v»^as  about  this  period  when  the  celebrated  Venetian  tra- 
veller, Marco  Polo,  visited  the  Tartar  Khan,  then  sitting  on 
the  throne  of  China ;  and  who,  on  his  return,  gave  the  first 
accounts  of  this  extraordinary  empire  ;  which  appeared,  in- 
deed, so  wonderful,  that  they  were  generally  considered  as 
his  own  inventions.     His  relations  of  the  magnificent  and 

p  p 


298  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

splendid  palaces  of  the  emperor,  of  his  immense  wealth,  of 
the  extent  ol  his  empire,  and  the  vast  multitudes  of  people, 
were  held  to  be  so  many  fabrications  ;  and  as,  in  speaking  of 
these  subjects,  he  seldom  made  use  of  a  lower  term  than  mil- 
lions, his  countr3men  bestov\ed  upon  him  the  epithet  of 
Signor  Maico  Millionc — Mr.  Mark  Million.  They  had  no 
hesitation,  however,  in  gi^  ing  credit  to  the  only  incredible 
p.ut  Ol  his  narrative,  where  he  relates  a  fe\^'  miiacles  that  M'ere 
performed,  in  the  course  of  his  journey  through  Persia,  by 
some  Nestorean  christians.  Young  Marco  is  said  to  have 
accompanied  three  missionaries  of  the  Dominican  order,  sent 
from  Veiiice  to  the  capital  of  China,  at  the  express  desire  of 
Kublai-Khan  ;  but,  whether  they  met  with  little  encourage- 
ment in  the  object  of  their  mission,  on  account  of  being  pre- 
ceded by  the  Christians  of  the  Greek  church,  or  their  zeal  at 
that  time  w  as  less  ardent  than  in  later  days,  is  not  stated ;  but 
it  seems  they  did  not  remain  long  in  the  East,  returning  veiy 
soon  to  their  nati^'e  country,  much  em'iched  by  their  travels. 

During  the  continuance  of  the  Taitar  government,  which 
Was  not  quite  a  cer.tury,  great  numbers  of  Mahomedans  like- 
wise found  their  way  from  Arabia  to  China.  These  people 
had  long,  indeed,  been  in  the  habit  of  carrying  on  a  commer- 
cial intercourse  with  the  Chinese :  which,  however,  as  at  the 
present  day,  extended  no  further  dian  the  seaports  on  the- 
southern  coast.  They  now  found  no  difficulty  in  getting  ac- 
cess to  the  capital,  where  they  rendered  themselves  particular- 
ly useful  in  adjusting  the  chronology  of  the  nation,  hnd  mak- 
ing the  necessary  calculations  for  the  yearly  calendar. 
Having  acquired  the  larjguage,  and  adopted  the  dress  and 
manners  of  the  people,  by  degrees  they  turned  their  thoughts 
to  the  extending  of  their  religious  principles,  and  bringing  the 
whole  country  to  embrace  the  doctrine  of  their  great  prophet. 
For  this  end,  they  bought  and  educated,  at  their  own  expense, 
such  children  of  poor  people  as  m  ere  likely  to  be  exposed  in 
times  of  famine ;  and  they  employed  persons  to  pick  up,  in  the 
streets  of  the  capital,  any  infants  that  should  be  throvMi  out  in 
the  course  of  the  night,  and  "svho  were  not  too  much  weakened 
or  other\'i"ise  injured  to  be  recovered. 

About  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  several  Roman 
Catholic  missionai'ies,  of  tlie  order  of  Jesus,  penetrated  into  the 
East;  and  the  indefatigable  zeal  of  one  of  these,  Francis  Xavier 
carried  him  as  flir  as  San-Shian,  a  small  island  on  the  coast  of 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  299 

China,  where  he  died  in  the  year  1552,  in  consequence  of  the 
uncommon  fatigues  he  had  undergone.  His  brother  missiona- 
ries have  calculated  that  he  travelled,  on  foot,  not  less  tkm  one 
hundred  thousand  English  miles ;  a  great  part  of  \\hich  was 
over  mountains,  des^u'ts,   forests  and  burning  sands.     Since 
a  more  easy  communication  with  India  and  China  has  been 
effected  by  the  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  numbers  of 
missionaries  of  the  catholic  religion  have  volunteei'ed  their  ser- 
vices into  diose  countries ;  and  although  the  sole  object  of  their 
mission  is  the  propagation  of  the  christian  faith,  they  find  it 
necessary,  in  order  to  fonvard  that  object,  to  make  themselves 
useful  to  the  government.     In  China,  they  are  occasionally  em- 
ployed as  astronomers,  mathematicians,  mechanics,  and  inter- 
preters. ' '  It  must  have  appeared  a  singular  spectacle," observes 
Sir  George  Staunton,  "  to  every  class  of  beholders,  to  see  men 
"  actuated  by  moti^'cs  diiferent  from  those  of  most  human 
*'  actions,  quitting  for  ever  their  country  and  their  connexions, 
*'  to  devote  themselves  for  life  to  the  pui-poses  of  changing 
**  the  tenets  of  a  people  the}'  had  ne\er  seen  ;  and  in  pursuing 
'*  that  object  to  run  cA'ciy  risk,  suffer  e\ery  persecution,  and 
"  sacrifice  every  comfort;  insinuating  themselves,  by  address, 
*'  by  talent,  by  perseverance,  by  hiuuility,  by  application  to 
"  studies  foreign  from  their  original  education,  or  by  the  culti- 
*'  vation  of  arts  to  which  they  had  not  been  bred,  into  notice 
*'  and  protectioji ;  overcoming  the  prejudices  of  being  strangers 
*'  in  acountry  where  most  strangers  \\ere  proliibited,  and  A\here 
"  it  was  a  crime  to  have  abandoned  the  tombs  of  their  ances- 
"  tors,  and  gaining,  at  length,  establishments  necessar}-  for  the 
"  propagation  of  their  faith,  without  turning  their  influence  to 
"  any  personal  advantage." 

Most  of  those,  howe\  er,  who  were  established  in  Pekin,  to 
th.e  spiritual  consolation  of  having  laboured  in  tfie  \'ineyard  of 
the  gospel  not  altogether  in  vain  (for  they  do  sometimes  gain 
a  proselyte )  add  the  substantial  satisfaction  of  not  having  ne- 
glected their  wordly  concerns.  Besides  the  emoluments  arising 
from  their  sevei-al  communities,  they  have  shops  and  houses  in 
the  capital,  which  they  rent  to  Cliinese.  They  Imve  also  their 
country  villas  and  estates,  where  they  cuUiv  te  the  \-ine  and 
other  fiuits,  and  make  their  own  wine.  The  revenues  of  the 
two  Portuguese  seminaries  are  stated  to  amoimt  to  twelve 
thousand  ounces  of  siber,  or  four  thousand  pounds  a  year. 
The  mission,  De  Propa.gandaFide,  is  poor.  The  French  Jesuits 


306  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

viere  once  rich ;  but  their  property  was  dissipated  on  tlie  dissd- 
lution  of  their  society.  The  French  missions  etrang^-es  drew  on, 
their  superiors  at  Paiis  before  the  revolution;  but  since  that 
event,  are  reduced  to  a  most  deplorable  situation.  Audit  seemed 
to  me,  from  w  hat  I  could  perceive  at  Yuen-min-yuen,  that  they 
were  not  much  disposed  to  assist  one  another.  Each  nation 
had  its  separate  interest ;  and  diey  were  not  \villing  to  lose  any 
opportunity  of  calumniating  their  fellow-labourers.  The  French 
and  Italians  were  the  most  moderate  and  liberal;  the  Portuguese 
the  most  inveterate.  The  missionaries  of  tliis  nation  appeai^ed 
to  be  inspired  with  a  jealousy  and  hatred,  more  than  theologi- 
cal against  the  rest.  It  is  said,  indeed,  that  their  rich  posses- 
sions, and  the  high  situations  they  unworthily  hold  in  the  board 
of  mathematics,  render  them  jealous  of  all  other  Europeans  ; 
and  they  use  eveiy  means  of  excluding  them  from  the  country. 
From  the  frequent  dissensions,  indeed,  among  the  different 
orders,  and  their  pei'petual  broils,  originated  the  persecutions 
which  they  and  theu'  proselytes  suffered  in  China.  The  most 
violent  of  these  disputes  was  carried  on  between  the  Jesuits 
and  the  Dominicans.  The  Jesuits  endeavoured  to  assimilate 
their  doctrines  and  their  opinions  to  those  of  the  Chinese,  at 
least  as  fai"  as  they  conscientiously  could  venture  to  do,  in  con- 
formity to  the  nature  of  their  mission;  by  which  means,  together 
with  their  apparently  disinterested  conduct,  tliey  soon  collected 
a  numerous  set  of  followers,  half  Christians  and  half  Pagans. 
Uniuclvily  for  the  cause  of  Christianity,  a  different  sect  of  the 
same  religion,  but  with  principles  more  austere  and  of  course 
less  tolerant  of  others  that  deviated  from  their  o^vn,  speedily 
followed  the  Jesuits  into  the  East.  The  Dominicans,  meeting 
with  some  of  the  half-christianized  converts,  soon  gave  them 
to  understand  that  nothing  less  than  eternal  damnation  would 
be  the  lot  of  aM  such  as  did  not  forsake  their  ancient  supersti- 
tions and  idolatrous  practices  :  and  especially  that  of  sacrificing 
to  their  deceased  relations  in  the  hall  of  ancestors.  The  Fran- 
ciscans having  joined  the  Dominicans,  they  represented  to  the 
pope  the  abominable  practices  of  the  Jesuits,  who  had  persuaded 
the  Chinese  they  were  come  among  them  for  the  sole  puipose 
of  restoripig  their  ancient  religion  to  its  original  purity,  as  deli- 
vered by  their  great  philosopher  Confucius.  The  pope,  upon 
this  sent  over  a  bull,  interdicting  all  the  missionriries  in  China 
from  admitting  any  extraneous  ceremonies  or  idolatrous 
worship,  to  be  blended  with  those  of  holy  catholic  church. 


I 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  301 

The  Jesuits,  however,  by  their  superior  talents  having  made 
themselves  useful  at  court,  and  obtained  the  notice  and  protec- 
tion of  Caung-Shee,  the  ruling  monai'ch,  and  the  gi'eatest,  per- 
haps, that  ever  tilled  the  throne  of  China,  treated  this  bull  with 
contempt,  and  continued  to  make  converts  in  their  own  way. 
They  even  obtained  from  tlie  emperor  a  sum  of  mone}^,  and  a 
grant  of  land,  towiirds  building  a  church  in  Pekin.  And  they 
further  managed  their  affairs  60  well,  as  to  procure,  from  the  suc- 
ceeding pope,  a  dispensation  in  favour  of  their  mode  of  pro- 
ceeding to  convert  the  Chinese  to  Christianity.  The  Domini- 
cans and  Franciscans,  piqued  beyond  measure  at  the  success 
of  the  Jesuits,  represented  them  to  the  pope,  in  the  strongest 
terms,  as  the  greatest  enemies  to  the  clii'istian  faith.  The  Jesu- 
its, in  their  turn,  transmitted  to  Rome  a  manifesto,  signed  by  tiie 
emperor  himself,  attesting  tliat  the  ceremonies  of  homage  to  the 
dead,  retained  by  the  Chinese  Christians,  were  not  of  a  religious 
but  a  civil  nature,  agreeably  to  the  long-established  laws  of  the 
empire,  which  couid  not,  on  any  consideration,  be  dispensed 
with.  In  short,  their  disputes  and  quarrels  ran  so  high, 
and  proceeded  to  such  lengths  ;  and  bulls  and  embassadors 
were  sent  from  Rome,  ^^•ith  such  imperious  and  threatening 
commands  for  the  Chinese  Christians  to  desist  from  all  ceremo- 
nies that  were  not  warranted  b}-  the  catholic  church  ;  that  tlie 
emperor  began  to  think  it  was  high  time  to  interpose  his  autho- 
rity, and  to  inteixlict  the  christian  religion  from  being  preached 
at  all  in  his  dominions.  And  his  son  and  successor  Yung-chin 
commenced  his  reign  with  violent  persecutions  against  the  mis- 
sionaries. He  ordered  many  of  them  immediately  out  of  the 
empire  ;  others  ^^■ere  tlii'own  into  prison,*  where  tliey  lingered 
out  a  miserable  life ;  and  some  were  put  to  death  by  the  bow- 

*  In  the  year  1785,  Kien  Long  liberated,  by  a  public  edict,  twelve 
missionaries  out  of  prison,  who,  being  detected  in  privately  seducing  the 
Chinese  from  the  religion  and  customs  of  the  country,  had  been  con- 
demned to  perpetual  imprisonmiiet.  This  edict,  of  which  I  procured  a 
copy  in  Pekin,  does  great  honour  to  the  humane  and  benevolent  mind  of 
the  emperor.  After  stating  their  crime,  apprehension,  and  trial,  he  ob- 
serves, "  Had  they  made  known  their  arrival  to  the  officers  of  govern- 
*'  ment,  they  might  have  proceeded  to  the  capital  and  found  protection. 
"  But  as  transgressors  of  the  law,  which  forbids  the  entrance  of  strang- 
"  ers,  they  have  stolen  into  the  coimtry,  and  secretly  endeavoured  to 
"  multiply  converts  to  their  way  of  thinking,  it  became  my  duty  to  oppose 
*  A  conduct  so  deceitful,  and  to  put  a  stop  to  the  progress  of  seduction. 


302  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

string.  Those  few,  who  were  found  necessary  to  assist  in  the 
asironomicid  piut  of  the  calendar,  he  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
capital. 

Not\nthstanding  the  persecutions  that,  in  every  reign,  have 
been  a  iolently  carried  against  them  by  the  officers  of  govern- 
ment in  the  se\'eral  provinces,  numbers  of  new  missionaries 
have  continued,  from  time  to  time,  to  steal  into  the  country. 
At  Macao  we  found  two  young  missionaries,  who  had  been 
waiting  there  along  time,  in  vain,  for  an  opportunity  of  get- 
ting privately  into  the  country.  They  accused  the  Portuguese 
of  thro\\'ing  every  obstacle  in  their  way,  while  pretending  to 
afford  them  assistance ;  but,  on  application  to  the  British  em- 
bassador, he  found  no  difficulty  in  procuring  them  leave  to 
proceed  to  the  capital ;  and  as  one  of  these  gentlemen  had 
been  a  pupil  of  the  celebrated  Lalande,  his  services  ma}^  pro- 
babl}'  supersede  those  of  the  right  reverend  bishop  who  at 
present  directs  the  astronomical  part  of  the  important  na- 
tional almanack. 

From  the  short  \'iew  that  has  here  been  taken  of  the  dif- 
ferent people  who,  at  various  times,  ha"\'e  gained  admission 
into  China,  and  some  of  them  for  no  other  purpose  than  that 
of  disseminating  their  religious  tenets,  it  may  be  concluded 
that  the  primitive  v/orsliip  of  the  countrj'-  has  experienced 
many  changes  and  innovations,  especially  since  the  mass  of 
the  people,  from  the  nature  of  the  language,  tlie  maxims  of 
the  goA'crnment,  and  other  circumstances,  ha\e  always  been 
kept  in  a  state  of  profound  ignorance.  Jews,  Christians,  In- 
dians, and  Mahomedans,  ha\'e  severally  met  with  encourage- 
ment. The  Jesuits  had  but  one  obstacle  to  overcome,  the 
law  that  directed  offeriiigs  to  be  made  to  deceased  relations, 
and  by  gi^■ing  \vay  to  this,  which  they  were  inclined  to  do, 
had  they  not  been  thwarted  by  the  more  rigorous  Dominicans,, 
they  might  ha^e  converted  the  "whole  nation,  and cliiistianity 

"  Justly  as  they  were  found  to  deserve  the  punishment  to  which  they 
"  have  been  condemned,  touched,  nevertheless,  with  compassion  fortheir 
"  imprudence,  it  was  not  without  injury  to  my  feelings  that  I  ratified  the 
"  sentence.  But  recollecting  afterwards  that  they  were  strangers— 
"  strangers  perhaps  ignorant  of  the  laws  of  my  empire,  my  compassion 
"  increased  for  them,  and  humanity  suffers  on  account  of  their  long 
"  confinement.  I  will,  therefore,  and  command,  that  these  twelve  strang- 
"  ers  be  set  at  liberty." 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  303 

would  have  become,  in  all  probability,  the  prevailing  religion, 
instead  of  that  introduced  from  India.  The  pai-aphernalia  and 
almost  all  the  mummeries  of  the  Romish  church,  tlie  bells,* 
the  beads,  the  altars,  the  images,  the  candles,  the  dress;  and 
the  sanctimonious  deportment  of  the  priests  in  the  hours  of 
devotion,  their  chaunting  and  their  incense,  were  already 
made  familiiu-  to  the  people  in  every  temple  of  Fo.  But,  as 
Lord  Macartney  has  observed,  "  the  prohibition  or  restric- 
*'  tion  of  sensual  gratifications  in  a  despotic  countr}%  Avhere 
*'  there  are  so  few  others,  is  difficult  to  be  relished.  Con- 
"  fession  is  repugnant  to  the  close  and  suspicious  chai'acter 
"  of  the  nation,  and  penance  A\ould,but  aggravate  the  misery 
"  of  him  whose  inheritance  is  his  labour,  and  poverty  his 
*'  punishment.  Against  it  also,  is  the  state  of  society  in 
*'  China,  which  excludes  women  from  their  proper  share  of 
*'  influence  and  importance.  A  religion  which  requires  that 
"  women  should  at  stated  times  commiunicate  to  priests,  in 
*'  pri^'ate,  their  thoughts  and  actions,  must  be  pai-ticularly 
"  disgusting  to  a  Chinese  husband,  who  had  not  himself  been 
*'  suffered  to  see  his  wife  till  the  day  of  his  mairiage ;  and 
*'  who  but  seldom  allows  her  afterv\'ards  to  see  even  her  near 
*'  relations  of  another  sex.  A  religion  like  that  of  Maliomet 
"  can  only  be  extended  by  A'iolence  and  terror ;  for  the  natu- 
"  ral  stubbornness  of  men  does  not  readily  give  way  to  novel 
"  impressions  ;  but  the  mild  spirit  of  the  gospel  is  alone  to 
*'  be  infused  through  the  means  of  gentleness,  persuasion, 
"  and  imperceptible  perseverance.  These  ai'e  the  proper 
"  instruments  of  conversion,  and  peculiarly  belong  to  thetliir 
"sex,  whose  eloquence,  on  such  occasions,  gives  channs  to 
"  devotion  and  ornaments  to  truth.  Tlie  earliest  stages  of 
"  Christianity  received  no  small  support  from  female  agency 
"  and  example  ;  and  for  what  show^  of  religion  still  appeal-^ 
*'  in  our  churches,  we  are  surely  not  a  little  indebted  to  the 
"  piety  and  attendance  of  women."  Nothing,  in  fact,  more 
tended  to  alarm  the  Chinese  than  the  imprudent  practice  of 
the  Romish  missioniu'ies  of  seducing  the  Chinese  ^vomen  to 
their  churches,  v.hom,  as  they  avow  in  their  correspondence, 
they  coaxed  out  of  their  jewels  and  money  ;  adding,  by 
way  of  justification,  that  it  v/as  to  promote  the  service  of  God. 
The  primitive  religion  of  China,  or,  at  least,  those  opinions, 
rites,  and  ceremonies,  that  prevailed  in  the  time  of  Confucius, 
(and  before  that  period  all  seems  to  be  fable  and  uncertainty) 


304  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

may  be  pretty  nearly  ascertained  from  tlie  writings  that  arc 
ascribed  to  that  philosopher.  He  maintains  in  liis  physics, 
that  "  out  of  nothing  there  cannot  possibly  be  produced  any 
'  thing ; — that  material  bodies  must  have  existed  from  all 
*  eternity ; — ^that  the  cause  (lee,  reason)  or  principle  of  things, 
'  must  have  liad a  co-existence  widi  the  things  themselves; — 
'  that,  therefore,  this  cause  is  also  eternal,  infinite,  indestruc- 
'  tible,  without  limits,  omnipotent  and  omnipresent; — that 
'  the  central  point  of  influence  (strength)  from  whence  this 
'  cause  principally  acts,  is  the  blue  finnament  (tien)  from 
'  whence  its  emanations  spread  o\er  the  whole  universe  ; — 
'  that  it  is,  therefore,  tlie  supreme  dut}^  of  the  prince,  in 
'  the  name  of  his  subjects,  to  present  offerings  to  tien,  and 
'  particulaily  at  the  equinoxes  ;  the  one  for  obtaining  a  pro- 
'  pitious  seed-time,  and  the  other  a  plentiful  harvest." 

These  ofierings  to  the  Deity ^  it  may  be  observed,  were  al- 
ways placed  on  a  lai'ge  stone,  or  heap  of  stones,  erected  on 
the  summit  of  a  high  mountain,  on  the  supposition,  probably, 
that  their  influence  would  be  so  much  the  gi'eater,  in  pro- 
portion as  they  should  approach  the  seat  and  fountain  of  crea- 
tive power;  like  the  ancient  Persians,  who,  according  to 
Herodotus,  considered  the  ^vhole  circle  of  the  heavens  to  be 
the  great  ruling  power  of  the  universe,  to  which  they  also 
sacrified  on  high  mountains.  Thus  Tacitus,  in  speaking  of 
the  practice  of  worsliiping  the  gods  on  high  mountains,  ob- 
serves, that  the  nearer  mortals  can  approach  the  heavens,  the 
more  distinctly  ^'^ill  their  prayers  be  heai"d  ;  and,  on  the  same 
principle,  Seneca  says,  that  tlie  people  always  strove  for  the 
seat  next  to  the  image  of  the  deity  in  the  temples,  that  their 
prayers  might  be  the  better  heard.  Thus  also  Noah,  after 
quitting  the  ark,  built  an  altar  on  the  mountain  where  it  rested, 
and  made  a  burnt  offering,  whose  smoke,  ascending  to  heav- 
en, was  pleasing  to  the  Lord.  And  Abraham  was  com- 
manded to  offer  his  only  son  Isaac  on  a  mountain,  in  the  land 
of  Moria ;  and  Baiak  canied  Balaam  to  the  top  of  Mount 
Pisgah,  to  offer  a  sacrifice  there,  and  to  curse  Israel.  Thus, 
indeed,  all  nations,  in  their  infanc}',  adopted  the  natiu-al  idea 
of  paying  adoration  to  heaven  from  high  places. 

The  large  stones,  or  the  heaps  of  stones,  that  have  been 
appropriated  for  religious  uses  at  different  times,  in  almost 
eveiy  part  of  the  world,  might  have  been  introduced,  as  lord 
Karnes  supposes,  from  the  custom  among  savage  nations,  to 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  505 

mark  w  Ith  a  great  stone  the  place  where  their  ^vorthies  \\-ere 
interred :  that  such  wortliics  being  at  length  dcilied,  in  the 
sujierstitioiis  notions  of"  their  \-otaries,  the  stones  that  were 
dedicated  to  tlieir  memory  became  essential  in  everv  act  of 
religions  ^\'orship  performed  in  honour  of  their  new  deities. 
The  very  particular  homage,  that,  for  time  immemorial,  has 
been  paid  to  tlie  memory  of  tlie  dead  by  the  Chinese,  renders 
the  abo\^e  explanation  extremely  probable,  as  to  the  origin  of 
their  altiu'  of  four  stones,  which,  in  their  language,  ai-e  called 
Tan,  and  which  in  former  times  were  erected  on  most  of 
their  high  mountains ;  and  it  is  singular  enough  that,  at  the 
present  day,  the  tan  should  be  represented,  upon  many  of 
the  altars  erected  in  their  temples,  by  four  loose  stones  placed 
on  the  four  corners  of  the  altar,  as  the  horns  were  in  the  cor- 
ners of  the  Jewish  altars.     When  population  increased,  and 
The  people  were  spread  wide  over  the  empire,  the  inconve- 
nience of  ascending  any  particular  mountain  must  necessarily 
be  felt,  and  the  tan  A\as  then  transferred  to  places  that  ^\erc 
i)ettcr  suited  for  general  accommodation.     The  same  idea, 
indeed,  is  still  retained  in  our  churches ;  the  altar  and  high 
l)lace  being  synonymous  words.     In  the  city  of  Pekin,  which 
stands  on  a  sandy  plain,    the  tien-tan,  or  altar  of  heaven ; 
the  tee-tan  or  altar  of  ciuth  ;  and  the  sien-nong-tan  or  altar  of 
ancient   agriculturists,    are    erected  upon  artificial   mounts, 
within  the  \\alls  of  the  palace ;  and  here  the  emperor  con- 
tinues, to  this  day,  to  sacrifice  at  ap]5ointed  times,  exclusi\'ely 
as  the  son  of  heaven,  and  the  only  being  on  earth  worthy  to 
intercede  for  his  people.     The  same  doctrine  prevailed  in 
the  time  of  Confucius,  \\ho  obser\-es,  that  the  distance  be- 
twecn  the  all-creative  power,  or  cause  of  all  things,  aiid  die 
people,  is  so  immeasurably  great,  that  the  king  or  ruler,  as 
high  priest,  can  alone  offer  such  a  sacrifice ;  and  that  this 
power  is  best  satisfied  \vhen  man  performs  the  moral  duties 
of  life ;  tlie  principal  of  which  he  makes  to  consist  in  filial 
piety,  and  unlimited  obedience  to  the  Avill  of  the  prince. 

His  religious  notions  and  morals  do  him  great  credit,  but 
his  metaphysics  are  so  obscure  as  not  to  be  intelligible  which, 
however,  ma}'  partly  be  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  language. 
In  his  writings  appears  a  strong  predilection  for  a  kind  of  Ibr- 
tunc-telling,  or  predicting  events  by  the  mystical  lines  of  Fo- 
shce.  By  the  help  of  these  lines,  and  the  prevailing  Clement 
at  the  commencement  of  the  reign  of  a  prince,  he  pretended  to 

<^9 


306  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

foretel  the  events  that  would  take  place,  and  the  length  of  its 
continuance ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  he  was  cautious  enough 
to  WTap  them  up  in  such  ambiguous  and  mysterious  expres- 
sions, that,  like  most  prophecies  of  the  kind,  they  might  admit 
of  a  \'ariety  of  interpretations.  Tliis  manner  of  expounding 
the  lines  of  Fo-shee  by  Confucius,  the  supposed  system  of 
binary  aiithmetic  by  Leibnitz,  laid  the  foundation  of  consult- 
ing future  destiny,  at  this  day  universally  sought  after  by  the 
Chinese.* 

Predestination,  in  all  ages,  and  in  all  nations,  has  formed 
one  of  the  leading  features  of  religion ;  and,  in  consideration 
perhaps  of  popular  opinion,  has  been  foisted  into  the  articles  of 
the  Clii'istian  faith,  though  unwarranted  by  any  passage  in  the 
holy  scriptures.  It  is  a  doctrine  little  calculated  for  the  pro- 
motion of  good  morals,  and  still  less  so  for  conveying  spiritucj 
consolation.  The  Chinese,  however,  confine  the  influence  of 
lots  to  the  events  of  this  life.  It  would,  perhaps,  be  doing  in* 
justice  to  the  understanding  of  Confucius  to  suppose  that  he 
really  believed  in  the  doctrine  of  fatality.  Being  prime  mi- 
nister of  one  of  the  kings  of  China,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to 
act  the  politician  as  well  as  the  philosopher ;  and  he  could  not 
fail  to  know,  that  the  superstitions  of  the  people  \\'ere  among 
the  best  supports  of  the  government.     He  might  have  been 


*  The  government  even  grants  licence  to  certain  persons,  under 
the  abused  name  of  astronomers,  who  pretend  ro  predict  events,  and 
cast  out  evil  spirits  by  a  charm,  consisting  of  some  character  written  by 
them,  according  to  the  supposed  prevailing  planet.  The  national  alma- 
nack, not  less  minute  in  its  predictions  than  those  of  Francis  Moore  or 
Vincent  Wing,  or  even  Partridge,  points  out  the  changes  of  the  weather 
in  every  month,  with  the  lucky  and  unlucky  days  for  undertaking  most 
of  the  important  concerns  of  life.  And  that  the  fallacy  of  these  is  not 
detected,  may  aiford  less  matter  for  surprise,  on  recollection  that,  in  the 
wise  and  enlightened  countries  of  Europe,  and  among  very  intelligent 
people,  the  state  of  the  weather  is  pretended  to  be  predicted  by  the 
phases  of  the  moon  ;  that  is  to  say,  they  will  prognosticate  a  change  of 
weather  to  happen  at  the  new  moon,  or  the  first  quarter,  or  the  full,  or 
the  last  quarter,  or,  at  all  events,  three  days  before,  or  three  days  after 
one  or  other  of  these  periods  ;  so  that  the  predictor  has,  at  the  least,  eight- 
and-twenty  days  out  of  a  lunar  revolution,  in  favour  of  his  prediction  be- 
ing right,  and  the  whole  lunation  is  only  twenty-nine  and  a  half  He  has 
also  another  great  advantage  :  the  accidental  coincidence  of  one  single 
prophecy  with  the  event,  establishes  his  fame  for  ever,  whilst  his  blun- 
ders are  either  overlooked,  or  considered  only  as  those  of  the  person,  and 
not  tl>e  defect  of  the  science. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  30r 

aware  of  the  folly  and  absurdity  of  such  a  doctrine,  and  }'et 
found  it  prudent  to  enforce  tlie  observance  of  it ;  just  as  the 
Greeks  thought  proper  to  continue  their  lots.  These,  instead 
of  sticks,  as  used  by  die  Chinese,  were  three  stones  that,  ac- 
cording to  some,  were  first  discovered  and  presented  to  Pallas 
by  the  nymphs,  the  daughters  of  Jupiter,  ^\■ho  rejected  an  of- 
fering dmt  rather  belonged  to  Apollo,  and  threw  them  awa}' ; 
— an  excellent  moral,  obscnes  Doctor  Tytler,  the  learned 
translator  of  the  hymns  and  epigrams  of  Callimachus,  shewing 
that  those  persons  avIio  are  guided  by  Pallas,  or  Wisdom,  will 
improve  the  present  time,  without  being  too  anxious  to  pry 
into  futurity.  The  Greek  poet,  ho\\ever,  like  the  Chinese 
philosopher,  ascribed  to  the  possessor  of  the  lots  die  talent  of 
reading  future  destiny. 

"  By  him  Uie  sure  events  of  lots  are  given ; 

"  By  him  the  prophet  speaks  the  will  of  Heaven."  Tytler. 

The  Romans  had  also  their  lots  to  determine  future  events, 
uhicli  were  a  kind  of  wooden  dice,  and  their  priests  examined 
the  marks  and  interpreted  the  signification  of  the  throw.  And 
the  ancient  Germans,  according  to  Tacitus,  made  use  of  little 
sticks,  notched  at  the  ends,  which,  like  the  Chinese,  they 
threw  three  times  in  case  they  did  not  appro^'e  of  the  first 
throw.  Herodotus  traces  the  custom  of  predicting  future 
events  to  the  ancient  Eg}-ptians,  and  seems  to  think  the  Greeks 
had  it  from  them.  But  is  not  the  desire  of  prying  into  futu- 
rity to  be  ascribed  rather  to  a  ^veakness  in  human  nature,  than 
as  a  custom  borroA\ed  by  one  nation  from  another?  Are  wc 
entirely  free  from  it  in  modem  Europe  ?  However  humiliating 
the  reflection  may  be,  yet  it  is  certainly  true,  that  men  of  the 
strongest  minds  and  soundest  judgments  have  sometimes,  to- 
wards the  close  of  an  useful  lite,  devoted  their  time  to  the  ex- 
position of  old  prophecies  without  meaning,  or  applicable  only 
to  events  that  were  already  in  train  to  be  accomplished  when 
the  prediction  ^\■as  made.  Among  many  others,  the  great 
Napier,  the  inventor  of  logarithms,  might  be  produced  as  an 
instance  of  this  remark.  From  the  Apocalypse  of  Saint  John 
he  predicted  the  day  of  judgment;  but  his  calculations  in  this 
instance  not  being  founded  on  data  equally  solid  \\  illi  those  on 
\\hich  he  constructed  his  tables,  he  luifortunately  survived  the 
dav  he  had  named,  to  blush  at  his  own  weakness. 


30g  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

Other  pails  of  the  doctrine  of  Confucius  Avere  well  calciilated 
to  keep  alix'e  the  superstitious  notions  tliat  still  prevail  among 
the  multitude.  lie  taught  them  to  believe  that  tlie  human 
body  was  composed  of  tu'o  principles ;  the  one  light,  invisi- 
ble, and  ascending ;  the  other  gross,  palpable,  and  descend- 
ing ;  that  the  separation  of  these  tAvo  principles  cause  the  death 
of  man  ;  that,  at  this  a'wful  period,  the  light  and  spiritual  pait 
of  die  human  body  ascends  into  the  air,  "whilst  the  gross  and 
corporeal  matter  sinks  into  the  earth.  The  A\'ord  death,  in 
fact,  never  enters  into  the  philosophy  of  Confucius ;  nor,  in- 
deed, on  common  occasions  is  it  employed  by  the  Chinese  at 
the  present  day.  When  a  person  departs  this  life,  the  common 
expression  is,  he  has  returned  to  his  family.  And  although 
the  body  resolves  itself  in  the  course  of  time  into  its  primiti\e 
elements,  and  becomes  a  pait  of  the  universe,  yet,  he  con- 
tended, the  spirits  of  such  as  had  performed  their  duty  in  life 
were  permitted  to  visit  their  ancient  habitiitions,  or  such  places 
as  might  be  appointed  for  receiving  the  homage  of  their  de- 
scendants, on  whom  they  had  the  power  of  conferring  benefac- 
tions. On  this  ground  it  became  the  indispensable  duty  of 
every  good  man  to  observe  a  strict  obedience  of  the  perform- 
ance of  sacred  rites  in  the  temple  conseci-ated  to  the  memory 
of  ancestors.  He  maintained  that  all  such  as  neglected  this 
great  branch  of  moral  duty  would  l^e  punished  for  their  neglect, 
after  death,  by  their  spiritual  part  being  deprived  of  the  privi- 
lege of  visiting  the  hall  of  ancestors ;  and,  consequently,  of  the 
pleasure  arising  from  the  homage  bestowed  by  tlieir  descend- 
ants. Such  a  system  could  not  fail  to  establish  a  belief  in  good 
and  evil  genii,  and  of  tutelar  spirits  presiding  over  families, 
towns,  cities,  houses,  mountains,  and  other  pailicular  places. 
It  afterwaixls  required  no  great  stretch  of  the  imagination  to 
give  to  these  "  airy  nothings  a  local  habitation  and  a  name." 

It  does  not  appear,  however,  that  either  Confucius  or  any  of 
his  disciples  attached  the  least  idea  of  a  personal  being  to  the 
deity ;  nor  does  it  seem  ever  to  have  entered  into  dieir  minds 
to  represent  the  gi'eat  first  cause  under  an}"  image  or  personi- 
fication. They  considered  the  sun,  moon,  stiirs,  and  the  ele- 
ments, with  the  azure  firmament,  as  the  creative  and  produc- 
tive powers,  the  immediate  agents  of  the  Deity,  and  inseparably 
connected  with  him ;  and  they  offered  adoration  to  tliese  agents, 
united  in  one  word  Tien  (Heaven).     It  cannot  be  supposed. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  309 

after  what  has  already  been  observed  in  the  sixth  chapter,  that 
i  should  lay  any  stress  on  the  similarity  of  \vords  in  diiTercht 
languages,  or  on  the  analogy  of  dieir  signification,  in  order  to 
prove  a  common  origin ;  but  if  the  conjecture  of  the  learned 
Bos  be  right,  that  Oj««  may  be  derived  from  Omv  to  mo\e  for- 
M^ard,  in  allusion  to  the  motion  of  the  hea^'cnly  bodies  A\'hich 
the  ancient  Greeks,  as  mcU  as  the  Persians,  A\orshipped,  tieii 
certainly  comes  very  near  the  Greek  both  in  sound  and  signifi- 
cation ;  nearer  it  could  not  come  in  sound,  as  the  Chinese  by 
no  eftbrt  could  pronoimce  the  e  th.  The  ^^'ord  tien  not  only 
signifies  heaven,  but  a  revolution  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  and 
is  in  common  use  bodi  in  ^vriting  and  conversation  for  day,  as 
ye,  ul,  san  tien,  one,  tVvO,  tliree  days. 

The  Confucionists,  like  the  Stoics,  seem  to  have  considered 
the  whole  universe  as  one  anin"iatcd  system,  made  up  of  one; 
material  substance  and  one  spirit,  of  \\  hich  everv  living  thing 
^\•as  an  emanation,  and  to  whicli,  when  separated  by  deatli 
from  the  material  part  it  had  animated,  e\ery  living  thing  again 
returned.  In  a  word,  their  conceptions  of  the  Deity  migh.t 
be  summed  up  in  those  two  beautiful  and  expressive  lines  of 
Tope, 

*'  All  are  but  parts  of  one  stupendous  whole, 
"  Whose  body  nature  is,  and  God  the  soul." 

But  tliat  which  is  most  surprizing  is,  that  the  enthusiastic 
follov\ers  of  Confucius  have  ne\-er  erected  any  statue  to  his 
memory,  nor  paid  liim  divine  honours,  as  erroneously  has  been 
supposed.  In  every  city  is  a  public  building,  a  kind  of  col- 
lege, A\herein  examinations  are  held  for  degrees  of  office,  and 
this  building  is  called  the  house  of  Confucius.  Here,  on  cer- 
tain appointed  days,  tlie  men  of  letters  assemble  to  pay  respect 
to  the  memory  of  then*  esteemed  philosopher.  In  the  great 
hall  appropriated  for  this  ceremony  a  plain  tablet  is  erected,  on 
which  is  painted  an  inscription,  in  gilt  chai'aeters,  to  this  ef- 
fect: "  O  Cong-foo-tse,  our  revered  master,  let  thy  spiritual 
"  piut  descend  and  be  pleased  with  this  our  respect,  which 
"  \VQ  now  humbly  offer  to  thee!"  Fruit  and  wine,  flowers, 
perfumes,  and  other  articles,  are  then  placed  before  the  tablet, 
during  which  arc  also  burning  -sarious  kinds  of  scented  gums, 
frankincense,  ta]icrs  of  sandal-wood,  and  gilt  paper.  This 
ceremony,  m Inch,  in  every  respect,  is  the  same  as  that  'which 
he  Uiught  as  an  observance  t0'>\iuxls  the  manes  of  depaited  re^ 


310  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

lations,  they  are  persuaded  is  agreeable  to  the  invisible  spirits 
of  those  to  whom  it  is  offered,  who  delight  in  hovering  over 
the  grateful  odour  of  flowers,  of  fruit,  and  the  smoke  of  in- 
cense. Thus,  in  like  manner,  did  the  Romans  on  their  birth- 
days offer  flowers,  and  fruit,  and  wine,  and  burn  incense  to  in- 
visible spirits,  whom  they  called  tlie  genii, 

"  Fande  merum  genio." 
"  Fill  a  glass  to  genius." 

But  the  priests,  who,  in  all  ages  and  in  most  nations,  have 
been  crafty  enough  to  turn  to  their  own  account  the  credulity 
and  superstitions  of  the  people,  having  once  established  as  a 
religious  duty  the  offering  of  sweet- smelling  herbs  and  otlier 
perfumes,  found  little  difficulty  in  persuading  the  multitude, 
that  the  tutelar  spirits  could  eat  as  well  as  smell,  and  that  sacri- 
fices and  meat-offerings  vi'ould  be  acceptable  to  the  gods.  The 
priests  of  China  lost  no  time  in  introducing  sacrifices,  even  of 
living  creatures,  and  offerings  of  corn,  and  rice,  and  wine,  and 
precious  metals  upon  their  altars,  not,  however,  to  that  extent 
w^iich  was  practised  in  tlie  temples  of  Greece  and  Rome,  whose 
gods  were  the  most  mercenary  of  all  nations,  being  rarely  in- 
duced to  grant  a  favour  without  a  fee.  Nor  in  modem  days 
have  the  monks  and  priests  of  the  catholic  faith  been  backward 
in  tliis  respect,  particulaiij'  in  sanctioning  the  doctiine  of  com- 
position for  sins,  for  the  absolution  of  which,  the  rate  was  not 
even  fixed  in  proportion  to  the  magnitude ;  and  what  is  still 
more  astonishing,  this  impious  practice  of  bargaining  with  the 
Almighty  has  survived  the  dark  ages,  and  exists  to  a  certain 
degree  at  this  moment. 

The  moral  and  religious  opinions  of  Confucius  were,  in 
fact,  too  sublime  and  too  metaphysical  to  preserve  their  purity 
among  a  people  so  unprepared,  as  his  countrymen  were,  to  re- 
ceive and  cherish  them.  The  attention  of  the  multitude  would 
seem,  indeed,  in  all  nations  to  require  being  fixed  on  some- 
thing gross  and  material.  How  difficult  was  it  for  the  priest 
and  the  leader  of  the  Jews,  to  restrain  their  people  from  prac- 
tices of  idolatry.  In  the  short  absence  even  of  Moses  on 
Mount  Sinai,  they  made  for  themselves  a  molten  calf  of  gold, 
as  an  object  of  divine  worship,  in  imitation,  probably,  of  what 
tliey  had  beheld  in  the  temples  of  Egypt.  The  invisible  god 
made  little  impression  on  their  gross  and  untutored  under- 
standings.    Nor  was  Numa  more  successful  than  Moses  or 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  311 

Confucius,  in  his  attempt  to  establish  among  the  people  the 
vTOrship  of  an  ideal  or  mental  object  of  adoration.  Thus  also 
it  happened  with  the  Chinese.  The  sublime  conceptions  of 
their  great  philosopher,  too  refined  indeed  for  untutored  hu- 
man nature,  tliey  could  not  comprehend :  they  required  some 
visible  object  on  which  they  might  fix  their  attention.  It  was 
not  enough  merel}'  to  imagine  that  the  spirits  of  men,  -w-ho  had 
done  tlieir  duty  in  this  life,  were  permitted  to  haunt  the  places 
where  their  bodies  were  interred,  or  where  their  surviving 
friends  should  assemble  to  do  them  honour :  it  was  necessary 
to  give  them  a  form  and  substance.  In  the  same  manner  was 
the  purity  of  the  Christian  religion  contaminated  by  the  multi- 
tude of  images  that  were  invented  in  the  monkish  ages,  \\  hen 
every  city,  town,  and  church,  and  even  individuals,  provided 
they  couid  pay  for  them,  had  their  particular  pati'on,  or  tuteliir 
saint. 

Like  the  temples  of  Confucius,  those  of  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians are  supposed  to  haAc  been  entirely  free  from  statues  ; 
and  Herodotus  seems  to  be  of  opinion  tliat  Hcsiod  and  Homer 
were  the  first  who  introduced  the  genealogy  of  the  gods 
among  the  Greeks  ;  imposed  names  upon  each,  assigned  their 
functions  and  their  honours,  and  clothed  them  in  their  several 
forms.  And  we  leai-n,  fi-om  Silius  ludicus,  that  the  ancient 
temple  of  Herculus  at  Gades,  had  no  visible  t}pe  of  the 
Deity. 

"  Sed  nulla  efSgies,  sJmulacrave  nota  deonun, 
"  Majestate  locum,  et  sacro  implevere  timore." 

"  No  statues  of  the  gods  appear  Mithin, 

"  Nor  images  ;  but  rev'rend  horror  round, 

"  And  gloom  majestic,  guard  the  sacred  ground." 

TYTLER*S    Ms. 

The  missionaries  in  their  writings  ha\'e  endea^'oured  to  im- 
press the  world  ^vith  an  idea  that  the  Chinese,  and  particularly 
the  Confucionists,  are  atheists;  that  they  disbelieve  in  a  future 
state  of  existence;  and  that  they  are  tlie  victims  of  a  senseless 
superstition.  Nothing  can  be  more  unjust  than  such  an  accu- 
sation. Could  Caung-shee  be  an  atheist,  when  he  inscribed, 
with  his  own  hands,  the  Jesuit  church  in  Pekin, 

"  To  the  only  ti-ue  principle  of  all  things,"  &c. 


312  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

And  can  a  people  be  justly  accused  of  a  disbelief  in  a  state 
of  future  existence,  whan  tlie  "v\'hole  nation,  of  \^"hat  sect 
soever,  presents  its  offerings  at  stated  seasons  to  tlie  spirits 
of  its  departed  ancestors  '?  Does  the  ejaculation,  "  Let  thy 
"  spiritual  part  descend  and  be  pleased  with  this  our  respect, 
*'  -v^hich  we  now  humbly  offer  to  thee !"  convey  any  such 
supposition  ?  And,  of  ail  others,  the  missionai'ies  ought  to 
ha\e  been  the  last  to  accuse  the  Chinese  of  senseless  super- 
stitions. Surely  it  is  not  more  repugiiant  to  reason,  nor  less 
consonant  v.ith  human  feelings,  to  offer  grateful  gifts  to  the 
manes  of  deceased  parents  and  friends,  than  to  fall  down  be- 
fore the  Virgin  Mary  and  the  thousand  saints  w  horn  caprice 
or  cabal  ha\'e  foisted  into  their  calendar,  and  of  ^a  hose  his- 
tory and  actions  even  then-  votaries  are  totally  ignorant  ?  Chi- 
nese superstition,  in  this  respect  is,  to  say  the  worst  of  it, 
an  amiable  weakness.  If  the  supposition  be  allowed  that 
beings  v\  ho  have  departed  this  life  may  possess  an  influence 
over  remaining  mortals,  it  is  surely  more  natural  to  address 
those  whose  care  and  kindness  had  already  been  felt,  tlian 
those  of  whom  \vc  have  no  further  knowledge  than  the  name. 
There  is,  perliaps,  no  stronger  incentive  to  virtuous  actions, 
nor  a  more  effectual  clieck  against  vicious  pursuits,  than  the 
idea  that  the  departed  spirit  of  a  beloved  j^arent  may  continue 
to  watch  over  and  direct  our  conduct.  The  Chinese,  at  all 
events,  are  not  iilil:)eral  in  their  superstitions  :  they  made  not 
the  least  difficulty  in  allovring  the  corpse  of  one  of  our  artists, 
%\hodied  at  Tong-tclioo,  though  a  Christian,  and  consequently 
in  their  opinion,  a  heretic,  to  be  deposited  in  the  midst  of 
their  public  burying  ground.  With  as  little  reasoii  does  an 
angry  missionar}'  complain  of  the  di^csses  and  ceremonies  of 
their  priests,  as  they  certainly  borrowed  nothing  from  the 
CatJioIics,  \\ho,  en  their  part,  are  much  indebted  to  the 
heathen  Greeks  for  a  great  part  of  the  paraphernalia  of  their 
OAvn  religion.  "  There  is  no  country,"  savs  he,  "  \\'here 
*'  the  dty'ii  has  so  successfully  counterfeited  the  true  worship 
"  of  the  holy  church.  These  priests  of  the  infernal  spirit  wear 
*'  long  loose  gOA^ns,  exactly  resembling  those  of  some  of 
''  the  fathers  of  the  church ;  they  live  in  temples  like  so 
"  many  monasteries,  and  they  chaunt  in  the  same  manner  as 
"with  us." 

A^nother  religion,  much  better  calculated  to  gain  popularity, 
sprung  up  aljout  the  time  of,  or  ^-ery  sJiortl}^  after,  the  death 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  313 

of  Confucius.  A  man  of  the  name  of  Lao-Kung,  having 
travelled  into  Thibet,  became  in  part  acquainted  with  the  wor- 
ship of  the  priests  of  Lama,  which  he  thought  \vould  suit 
his  countrymen,  and  might  also  be  the  means  of  raising  his 
own  reputation.  He  accordingly  established  a  sect,  under 
the  name  of  Tao-tze,  or  "  Sons  of  immortals."  He  main- 
tained, like  Epicurus,  that,  to  live  at  his  ease,  and  to  make 
himself  happy,  were  the  chief  concerns  of  man  ;  that,  to  seize 
the  present  moment,  regardless  of  the  past  and  of  that  to  come, 
was  the  business  of  life, 

"  Carpe  diem,  quam  minimum  credula  postero." 

" Swift  the  fleeting  pleasure  seize, 

'•  Nor  trust  to-morrow's  doubtful  light." 

But  as  ills  would  come,  and  disease  and  death  seemed  to  be 
the  common  lot  of  mankind,  the  beverage  of  immortal  life 
was  a  glorious  idea  to  hold  out  to  mortiil  man.  In  fact,  im- 
mortality \\-as  one  of  the  attributes  of  the  Delai  Lama,  who  is 
supposed  never  to  die ;  tlie  soul  of  the  reigning  Lama  passing 
immediately  into  the  person  of  his  successor.  This  doctrine, 
a  branch  of  the  Metempsycosis,  was  converted  by  Lao-Kung 
into  the  art  of  producing  a  renovation  of  the  faculties  in  the 
same  body,  by  the  means  of  certain  preparations  taken  from 
the  three  kingdoms  of  nature.  The  infatuated  people  flew 
with  avidity  to  the  fountain  of  life.  Princes  e\en  sought  after 
the  draughts  that  should  render  them  immortal,  but  v\  hich^ 
in  fact,  brought  on  premature  deatli.  Numerous  instances 
are  said  to  be  on  record,  wherein  the  eunuchs  have  prevailed 
on  the  sovereign  to  swallow  the  immortal  liquor  ^^•hich  sel- 
dom failed  to  dispatch  him.  Father  Trigault,  who  was  in 
Pekin  when  the  Tartars  took  possession  of  it,  speaking  of  the 
propensity  of  the  upper  classes  for  the  beverage  of  life,  ob- 
serves, "  Even  in  this  city,  there  are  few  of  the  magistrates, 
*'  or  eunuchs,  or  others  in  office,  free  from  this  insanity;  and 
"  as  there  are  plenty  who  wish  to  learn  the  secret,  there  is 
"  no  want  of  professors."  This  seems  to  be  the  only  species 
of  alchemy  to  which  the  Jesuits  have  said  the  Chinese  are  ad- 
dicted. The  preparation  of  the  liquor  of  life  is  their  philo- 
sopher's stone ;  and  in  all  probability,  is  composed  of  opium 
and  other  drugs,  which,  by  encreasing  the  stimulus,  gives  a 
momentary  exhilaration  to  the  spirits;  and  the  succeeding 

R  r 


514  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

knguor  requiring  another  and  another  draught,  till,  at  length, 
the  excitability  being  entirely  exhausted,  the  patient  "  puts  on 
*'  immortality." 

HoAA'  much  soever  we  may  find  oursehes  disposed  to  censure 
the  absurdity  of  the  Chinese  beverage  of  live,  Ave  ai-e  not  a  great 
v\  ay  behind  them  in  this  respect,  or  the  Perkinses,  the  Solo- 
mons, the  Velnos,  and  the  Brodums,  a\  ith  an  innmnerable  host 
of  quacks,  v.hosc  indecent  advertisements  disgrace  our  daily 
prints,  would  notdcrive  their  subsistence,  much  less  rise  to  afflu- 
ence by  the  credulity  of  Englishmen :  for  many  of  these  pests  of 
society  ai'e  foreigners,  too  contemptible  in  their  o\mi  country 
to  meet  Avith  encouragement.  What  conclusion  -would  a  Chinese 
be  apt  to  draw  of  our  national  character,  if  lie  had  only  a  smat- 
tering of  our  language,  just  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  read 
these  daily  efilisions  that  are  forced  upon  public  notice  ?*  And 
\\hat  must  he  think  of  the  reveries  of  Condorcet,  and  of  his 
English  disciples,  -whose  monstrous  doctrines  (under  the 
abused  name  of  philosophy )  v.ould  persuade  liim  that  sleep 
Avas  a  disease  !  That 

"  Sleep,  that  knits  up  the  ravell'd  sleave  of  care, 
"  The  death  of  each  day's  Ufa,  sore  labour's  bath, 
"  Balm  of  hurt  minds,  great  natui-e's  second  course, 
"  Chief  nourisher  in  life's  feast" 

it  was  a  bodily  infirmit}-,  \vhich  the  perfectibilit}'  of  the  human 
mind  (so  happily  commenced  by  the  French  subversion)  would 
completely  eradicate !  Let  us  not  altogether  condemn  the  igno- 
rant, perhaps  designing,  priests  of  Tao-tse,  and  the  still  more 
ignorant  multitude,  when  the  strong  and  enlightened  mind  of 
a  Descartes,  could  amuse  itself,  with  the  fanciful  hope  of  being 
able  to  discover  the  secret  of  prolonging  the  life  of  man  far 
beyond  the  usual  limits  which  seem  to  be  assigned  to  the  hu- 
man species. 

Consistently  with  die  principle  of  "  taking  no  thought  for 
the  "  morrov/,"  the  priests  Of  Lao-kung  devoted  themselves  to 
a  state  of  celibacy,  as  being  more  free  from  cares  than  the  in- 

*  And  which,  together  with  their  pernicious  practices  and  infamous 
pamphlets,  addressed  chiefly  to  youth  of  both  sexes,  it  may  be  added, 
have  done  more  mischief  than  "  plague,  pestilence,  or  famine."  Among 
the  numerous  societies  l!iat  have  been  formed  for  the  amendment  of  pub- 
lic morals  and  the  suppression  of  vice,  it  is  surprising  that  no  plan  has 
been  thought  of  for  the  suppression  of  impudent  quacks. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHJNA.  515 

cumbrances  which  necessarily  attend  a  fiimily  connexion;  and, 
the  better  to  accompHsh  this  end,  they  associated  in  convents. 
Here  they  deal  out  to  their  votiirics  the  decrees  of  the  oracle, 
agreeably  to  die  rules  prescribed  b}'  Confucius ;  and  they  prac- 
tise also  a  number  of  incantations,  magic,  in\  ocations  of  spirits, 
and  odier  mystical  rites,  that  are  probabl}-  as  little  understood 
by  themselves  as  b}"  die  gazing  multitude.  In  performing  these 
magic  tricks  they  niLuxh  in  procession  round  the  altar,  on  which 
the  sacred  flame  is  supposed  to  be  kept  perpetually  burn- 
ing,   being   a   composition    of   v.ax   and   tallow  mixed  up 
with  sandal-wood-sha\ings  and  odicr  perfumes  ;  they  chaunt 
in  unison  a  kind  of  recitative,  and  they  bow  dicir  heads  obse- 
quiously every  time  they  pass  before  the  fi-ont  of  die  altar. 
The  great  Gong  is  struck  at  intervals,  accompanied  by  tinkling 
sounds  emitted  b}-  gently  sti'iking  small  metal  plates  suspended 
in  a  frame.      Their   temples   are  crowded  with  laige  and 
monstrous   figin^es,   some  made  of   wood,  some  of  stone, 
and  others  of  baked  clay  daubed  o^•cr  with  paint  and  var- 
nish, and  sometimes  gilt.     To  such  figures,  however,  they 
do  not  seem  to  pay  an}-  kind  of   homage.     They   are  in- 
tended merely  to  represent  the  good  and  evil  genii,  under 
the  various  passions  to  which  human  nature  is  liable.     The 
good  genii,  or  pleasing  affections,  are  placed  on  one  side  of  the 
temple,  and  their  opposites  on  the  other.  Thus  the  personifi- 
cations (^f  mirth  and  melancholy,  love  and  hatred,  pleasure 
and  pain  are  contrasted  together.  The  conditions  of  men  arc 
also  represented,  and  their  figures  opposed  to  one  another.  In 
this  light,  at  least,  diey  appeared  to  us  ;  though  the  priest  at 
Tong-tchoo  informed  us  they  were  intended  to  portray  the  dif- 
ferent characters  of  the  monks  that  had  belonged  to  die  mo- 
nastery. In  some  temples  also  are  met  widi,  the  statues  of  such 
emperors  or  ministers  of  state  as  had  shewn  themselves  favour- 
able to  an}-  particular  convent.     If,  for  instance,  a  great  man 
should  occupy  die  apartments  of  a  temple,  and,  at  his  departure, 
leave  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  die  priests,  out  of  gratitude, 
would  place  his  image  in  a  niche  of  die  temple.  In  looking  in- 
to one  of  diese  edifices,  a  stranger  w  ould  be  apt  to  conclude 
that  they  'vvere  Pol}theists,  which  I  do  not  understand  to  be  the 
case.  Like  the  saints  of  the  catholics,  the  gi-eat  Fo,  of  whom 
I  shall  presently  speak,  widi  Poo-sa,  Shing-moo,  and  many 
others,  ai*e  considered  onl}-  in  the  light  of  ag-ents  and  inter- 
cessors,  or  as  emanations  of  one  creating,  destroying,  and  re- 


316  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA, 

novating  power,  whose  good  providence  has  divided  itself  in- 
to a  number  of  attributes  for  the  better  government  of  tlie  uni- 
verse. * 

Next  to  this  rehgion  of  the  immortals,  was  introduced  ano- 
ther, of  nearly  the  same  gro\vth,  which,  from  being  patronized 
by  the  court,  soon  became  no  less  popular  than  the  former. 
The  priests  of  Fo,  coming  by  invitation  from  India,  imported 
with  them  a  great  portion  of  the  Hindu  mythology,  which 
some  learned  men  have  supposed  to  be  the  origin  from  whence 
the  Polytheism  of  Egypt  and  Greece  had  its  source :  and  others 
the  direct  contrary.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  affinity  seems  to 
be  too  sti'ong  not  to  ascribe  them  to  a  common  parent  ;  and 
tiie  representations  and  the  histories  of  many  of  the  gods  of 
these  nations  were  imported,  in  all  probability,  with  the  reli- 
gion of  Fo,  from  India  into  China.  This  \\ill  better  appear 
by  comparing  a  few  as  they  are  observed  in  the  different  na- 
tions. 

The  Budha  of  the  Hindus  was  the  son  of  Ma-}'a,  and  one 
of  his  epithets  is  Amita :  the  Fo  of  China  was  the  son  of  Mo-ya, 
and  one  of  his  epitliets  is  Om-e-to ;  and,  in  Japan,  whose  natives 
are  of  Chinese  origin,  the  same  god  Fo  is  worshipped  under  the 
name  of  Amida.  I  could  neither  collect  from  any  of  the 
Chinese  what  the  literal  meaning  was  of  Om-e-to,  nor  could  I 
dec}^her  tlie  characters  under  which  it  is  wTitten  ;  but  it  ap- 
peared to  be  used  as  a  common  ejaculation  on  most  occasions, 
just  as  we  Europeans  are  too  apt  to  make  a  familial'  and  impious 
use  of  the  name  of  God.  Perhaps  it  might  not  seem  inconsist- 
ent in  considering  it  to  be  derived  from  the  Hindu  mystic 
word  Om. 

Since  the  accession  of  the  Tartar  princes  to  the  throne  of 
China,  the  court  religion,  or  at  least  the  Tartar  part  of  the 
court,  which  before  adhered  to  the  tenets  of  Confucius,  has 
been  that  of  Fo  or  Budha.     The  priests  are  numerous,  mostly 

•  Thus,  among  tlie  inscriptions  •nrritten  over  the  doors  of  temples^  some  are  de- 
dicated 

To  the  holy  mother,  queen  of  heaven  ;  the  goddess  of  peace  and  ponuer,  descended 
froin  the  island  of  Moui-tao,  <who  stills  the  waves  q/  the  sea,  allays  storms,  firo- 
tects  the  empire. 

Another  has 

The  ancient  temple  of  the  goddess  f  Kin-VihaJ  of  the  golden  fovier,  through  vihose 
influence  felds  are  green  and  fertile  Hie  a  grove  of  trees  ;  and  benefits  are  diffused  as 
pile  frothy  V3a?>p  of  the  sea,  that  shines  like  splendid  pearls. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  Sir. 

dressed  in  yellow  gOM^ns,  live  in  a  state  of  celibacy  in  large 
convents  or  temples,  which  the  Chinese  call  Poo-ta-la,  evi- 
dently derived  from  Budha-laya,  or  habitation  of  Budha,  this 
name  being  adopted  by  the  Tartars,  which  the  Chinese  have 
been  under  the  necessity  of  following  as  neai'ly  as  their  organs 
of  speech  would  admit.  They  wear  a  sort  of  chapelet  round 
their  necks,  consisting  of  a  number  of  beads.  In  some  of 
their  ceremonies  they  maich,  like  the  Tao-tses,  in  procession 
round  the  altar,  counting  their  beads,  repeating  at  every  bead 
Om-e-to-fo,  and  respectfully  bowing  the  head,  llie  \\hole 
string  being  finished,  they  chalk  up  a  mark,  registering  in 
this  manner  the  number  of  their  ejaculations  to  Fo.  This 
counting  of  their  beads  ^^ as  one  of  the  ceremonies  that  \eiy 
much  exasperated  the  missionaiics. 

The  Ganesa  of  the  Hindus,  the  Janus  of  the  Romans,  and 
the  Men-shin,  or  guardian  spirit  of  the  door  of  the  Chinese, 
are  obviously  one  and  tlic  same  deity.  Sometimes  he  is 
painted  with  a  club  in  one  hand,  and  a  key  in  die  other,  re- 
presenting the  protector  of  the  house.  On  almost  every  door 
in  China,  where  the  inhabitants  profess  the  religion  of  Fo,  is 
drawn  the  figure  of  Men-shin,  or  other^^•ise  the  two  characters 
of  this  word,  agreeing  exactly  witli  wJiat  Sir  William  Jones 
lias  observed  of  the  new  town  of  Ga}-a  in  Hindoston,  "  diat 
*'  every  new-built  house,  agreeably  to  an  immemorial 
*'  usage  of  the  Hindus,  has  the  name  of  Ganesa  superscribed 
"  on  its  door :  and  in  the  old  town  his  image  is  placed  over 
"  tlie  gates  of  die  temples." 

The  Vishnu  of  the  Hindus,  riding  on  an  eagle,  and  some- 
times attended  by  an  eagle,  has  been  considered  as  the  Jupiter 
of  the  Greeks ;  and  the  Lui-shin  of  the  Chinese,  or  spirit  of 
thunder,  is  figured  under  a  man  with  the  beak  and  talons  of 
an  eagle,  sometimes  surrounded  with  ketde  drums,  carr\-inp" 
in  one  haixl  a  batoon,  and  in  die  other  a  flame  of  fire.  The 
Osiris  of  die  Egyptians,  from  whence  the  Greeks  had  their 
Jupiter,  comes  still  nearer  to  the  Lui-shin  of  the  Chinese. 
When  represented  as  the  emblem. of  the  sun,  he  \\as  dra\\'n 
under  the  figure  of  a  man  with  an  eagle's  beak,  carrying  in 
his  hand  a  batoon  on  which  was  painted  an  eye.  TJie  inge- 
nious and  feilile  imagination  of  the  Greeks  separated  the  em- 
blem from  the  god,  and  made  the  bird  of  prey  the  attendant 
of  the  divinity,  which  the  Egyptians  and  the  Cliinese  united 
under  one  symbol.     It  is  a  curious  coincidence  of  opinion,  if 


1 


S18  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

it  be  not  founded  on  fact,  that  the  Chinese  should  assign  the 
same  reason,  for  giving  an  eagle's  face  to  their  Lui-shin,  that 
Piiny  has  for  the  consecration  of  that  bird  to  Jupiter ;  namely, 
that  no  instance  was  ever  kno^^-n  of  an  eagle  being  destroyed 
b}^  lightning.  The  Chinese  have  also  an  observation  with 
regai-d  to  this  bird,  ^\  hich  has  been  made  by  other  nations,  and 
which  is,  that  the  eagle,  in  a  thunder  storm,  always  mounts 
abo\'e  the  clouds. 

The  Varuna  of  the  Hindus,  riding  on  a  fish,  the  Neptune 
of  the  Greeks,  and  tlie  Chinese  Hai-vang,  or  king  of  the 
sea,  reposing  on  the  waves,  with  a  fish  in  his  hand,  are  unques- 
tionably one  and  the  same  personage. 

The  giemt  Briareus,  with  his  hundred  hands,  is  truly  in 
China  of  a  most  stupendous  and  colossal  stature ;  being  com- 
monly from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  sometimes  as  tall 
as  eighty  feet.  But  the  lai'gest  of  all  their  deities  is  a  woman 
of  the  family  of  Poo-sa,*  appai'ently  a  personification  of  nature. 
This  goddess  is  modelled  in  a  variety  of  ways ;  sometimes  she 
is  to  be  found  with  four  heads  and  forty  or  fifty  anns,  the 
heads  looking  towards  the  four  cardinal  points  of  the  compass, 
and  each  arm  holding  some  natural  product  of  the  earth,  sub- 
servient to  the  use  of  man.  Sometimes  each  arm  produces 
several  smaller  aims,  and  on  the  head  stands  a  pyramids  groupe 
of  smaller  heads.  Van  Braam  mentions  his  having  seen  a 
statue  of  this  goddess  that  was  ninety  feet  high,  having  four 
heads  and  forty-four  arms.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  meet 
with  temples  in  ruins,  in  the  midst  of  which  these  monstrous 
gods  ai:id  goddesses  are  seen  entire,  exposed  to  the  elements. 
It  seems,  the  inferior  temples  are  generally  upheld  by  the  vo- 
luntaiy  gifts  of  the  people  ;  and  that,  whenever  aiiy  unusual 
calamity  befals  a  to\Mi  or  village,  such  as  severe  famine,  epi- 
demic disease,  inundations,  or  the  like,  whose  dire  effects 


*  Poo-sa  comprehends  a  class  of  superintending  deities  inferior  to 
those  of  Fo,  who  are  consulted  on  trivial  occasions,  and  the  ordinary 
affairs  of  life.  Of  course  the  greater  number  of  temples  are  called  by 
the  general  name  of  Poo-sa  miau,  temple  of  Poo-sa.  The  name  implies 
all-helping.  The  character  poo  signifies  support,  and  sa  has  the  charac- 
ter of  plant,  for  its  root  or  key,  united  to  that  of  preservation  ;  the  plant- 
preserving,  or  plant-supporting  deity  ;  from  whence  it  may  perhaps  be 
concluded,  that  poo-sa  is  the  offspring  of  the  Holy  Mother,  of  whom  I 
am  about  to  speak. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  319 

cease  not  on  repeated  applications  to  the  protecting  saint,  by 
way  of  punishing-  the  gods,  they  literally  pull  down  the  temple 
over  their  heads,  and  leave  them  sitting  in  the  open  air.  This 
grotesque  and  barbarous  manner  of  representing  the  manifold 
powers  of  nature,  or  the  goddess  of  nature,  by  a  plurality  of 
heads  and  hands  in  one  idol,  is  by  no  means  favourable  to  the 
supposition  of  a  refined  or  superior  understanding  in  the  peo- 
ple w  ho  adopt  them  into  their  religious  ^vorship.  It  can  be 
considered  only  as  a  \^ery  short  step  be}Oud  the  conceptions  of 
savages,  who  have  no  other  idea  than  that  of  suppl}ing  by 
number,  or  a  repetition  of  the  same  thing,  what  ma}^  be  want- 
ing in  power.  The  same  figure,  \\  ith  numerous  arms,  appeai-s 
in  the  Hindu  temples  that  ai'C  excavated  out  of  solid  granite 
mountains,  the  most  ancient,  and  among  the  most  wonderful 
monuments  of  art  and  persevering  labour  that  have  hitherto 
been  discovered  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  the  fountiin,  perhaps, 
from  whence  the  arts,  the  sciences,  and  the  religious  niiyste- 
ries  of  the  P'.gyptians  and  the  Greeks  derived  tiieir  origin. 

But  the  most  common  of  all  the  female  deities  in  China  is 
the  Shing-moo,  or  holy  mother,  or  rather  the  mother  of  perfect 
intelligence.  ^-  This  lady  is  the  exact  counterpart  of  the  Indian 
Ganga,  or  goddess  of  the  ri\'er,  the  Isis  of  the  Eg}ptians,  and 
the  Ceres  of  the  Greeks.  Nothing  shocked  tlie  missionaries 
so  much  on  their  first  anival  in  China  as  the  image  of  this  lady, 
in  whom  they  discovered,  or  thought  they  discovered,  the 
most  striking  resemblance  to  the  Virgin  Maiy.  They  found 
her  generally  shut  up  with  great  care  in  a  recess  at  the  back 
part  of  the  altar,  and  veiled  with  a  silken  screen  to  hide  her 
from  common  observation;  sometimes  with  a  child  in  her 
hand,  at  other  times  on  her  knee,  and  a  glory  round  her 
head.  On  hearing  the  story  of  the  Shing-moo,  they  were 
confirmed  in  this  opinion.  They  were  told  that  she  concei\'ed 
and  bore  a  son  while  )et  a  virgin,  by  eating  the  flower  of  the 
Lien-\\ha  (the  Nelumbium)  which  she  found  lying  upon  her 
clothes  on  the  bank  of  a  river,  where  she  was  bathing ;  that, 
when  the  time  of  her  gestation  was  expired,  she  went  to  the 
place  where  she  had  picked  up  the  flo\ver,  and  was  there  de- 
li\ered  of  a  boy  :  that  the  infant  Vvas  found  tmd  educated  by  a 

*  The  character  shing  is  compounded  of  ear,  mouth,  and  ruler  o^ 
king,  intending  perhaps  to  express  the  faculty  of  knowing  all  that  are 
has  heard  and  mouth  uttered. 


320  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA^ 

poor  fisherman ;  and,  in  process  of  time,  became  a  gi-eat  man, 
and  peiformed  miracles.  Such  is  her  story,  as  told  by  tlie 
Chinese  priests.  When  the  image  of  this  goddess  is  standing', 
she  generall}'  holds  a  flower  of  the  Nelumbium  in  her  hand ; 
and  when  sitting,  she  is  usually  placed  upon  the  large  peltate 
leaf  of  the  same  plant. 

The  Egyptian  Lotos,  not  that  esculent  plant  fi-om  the  use 
of  Avhich  the  Lotophagi  had  their  name,  but  another  of  a  very 
different  genus,  consecrated  to  religious  purposes,  is  said  *  to 
have  been  ascertained  from  a  statue  of  Osiris,  preserved  in  the 
Bai'berini  palace  at  Rome,  to  be  that  species  of  water-lily  which 
gro\vs  in  abundance  in  most  parts  of  the  eastern  world,  and 
\^'hich  was  known  to  botanists  under  the  name  of  nymphaea 
nelumbo ;  but  I  understand  it  is  now  considered  as  a  new 
genus,  distinguished,  under  a  modification  of  its  former  spe- 
cific name,  by  that  of  Nelumbium.  This  plant,  however,  is 
no  longer  to  be  found  in  Eg}'pt.  The  two  species  that  gro\v, 
at  present,  on  the  banks  and  canals  of  tlie  Nile  are  totally  dif- 
ferent, which  furnishes  a  very  strong  presumption  that,  al- 
though a  sacred  plant,  and  cultivated  in  the  country,  it  might 
nevertheless  be  of  foreign  growth.  In  China,  few  temples  ai'e 
without  some  representation  of  the  Nelumbium ;  sometimes 
the  Shing-moo  is  painted  as  standing  upon  its  leaves  in  the 
jnidst  of  a  lake.  In  one  temple  I  observed  the  intelligent  mo- 
ther sitting  upon  the  broad  peltate  leaf  of  this  plant,  which  had 
been  hewn  out  of  the  living  rock.  Sometimes  she  holds  in 
her  hand  a  cornucopia  filled  with  the  ears  of  rice,  of  millet, 
and  of  the  capsule  or  seed-\^essel  of  the  Nelumbium,  these  be- 
ing articles  of  food  w^hich  fiiU  to  the  share  of  tlie  poorest  pea- 
sant. This  veiy  beautiful  -water-lily  grows  spontaneously  in 
almost  every  lake  and  morass,  from  the  middle  of  Tartary  to 
the  province  of  Canton;  a  curious  circumstance,  when  we 
consider  the  very  great  difficulty  with  which  it  can  be  pre- 
served, even  by  ailificial  means,  in  climates  of  Europe,  ^vhose 
temperature  are  less  v^arm  and  less  cold  than  many  of  those 
where,  in  China,  it  gro^^'S  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  with  the 
greatest  degree  of  luxuriance.  On  the  heights  of  Tartary  it 
is  found  in  an  uncultivated  state,  \\'here,  in  winter,  die  ther- 
mometer frequently  stands  at,  and  generally  far  be^ow,  the 


•  By  Mr.  Pauw. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  321 

freezing  point.  But  here  the  roots  strike  at  the  bottom  of 
very  deep  Avaters  only ;  a  circumstance  from  which  ^^•e  may, 
perhaps,  conclude  that  the  plant  may  rather  require  uniformity 
of  temperature  than  any  extraordinary  degree  either  one  Wixy 
or  other.  Not  only  the  seed  of  the  Nelumbium,  ^v•hich  is  a 
kind  of  nut  neai'ly  as  large  as  an  acorn,  but  the  long  roots, 
jointed  like  canes,  furnish  articles  of  food  for  the  table.  In  the 
capital,  during  the  ^vhole  summer  season,  the  latter  ai^e  sliced 
and  laid  on  ice,  and  in  this  state  serve  as  prnt  of  the  desert ; 
the  taste  differs  very  little  from  that  of  a  good  juicy  turnip, 
-with  a  slight  degree  of  astringency. 

There  is  something  so  veiy  striking  and  remai'kable  in  this 
pkmt,  that  it  is  not  surprizing  the  Eg}  ptians  and  the  Indians, 
fond  of  drawing  allusions  from  natunil  objects,  should  h^ve 
considered  it  as  emblematic  of  creati\-e  power.  The  leaves  of 
the  succeeding  plant  are  found  involved  in  the  middle  of  the 
seed,  perfect,  and  of  a  beautiful  green.  When  the  sun  goes 
down,  the  large  leaves  that  spread  themselves  over  the  surtace 
of  the  water,  close  like  an  umbrella,  and  the  returning  sun 
gi'adually  unfolds  them.  Now,  as  these  nations  considered 
\vater  to  be  the  primary  element,  and  the  first  medium  on 
which  creati^•e  influence  began  to  act,  a  plant  of  such  singu- 
larity, luxuriance,  utility  and  beauty,  could  not  fail  to  be  re- 
garded by  them  as  a  proper  symbol  for  representing  that  crea- 
tive power,  and  was  accordingly  consecrated  by  die  former  to 
Osiris  and  to  Isis,  the  emblems  of  the  sun  and  moon,  and  by 
the  latter  to  Ganga,  the  river  goddess,  and  to  the  sun.  The 
coincidence  of  ideas  between  those  tAvo  nations,  in  this  respect, 
may  be  drawn  from  that  beautiful  Hindu  li}'mn,  addressed  to 
Surya  or  the  sun,  and  ti-anslated  by  Sir  William  Jones — 

"  Lord  of  the  Lotos,  father,  friend  and  king, 
"  O  Sun !  thy  powers  I  sing." — Sec* 

Whether  the  Chinese,  like  the  Hindus,  entertained  the  same 
notions  of  creative  power,  or  its  influence  upon  water  as  the 
primary  element,  I  could  not  learn.    No  information  as  to  die 

*  Captain  Turner  found  the  name  of  the  Lotos  inscribed  over  most 
of  the  temples  in  Bootan  and  Thibet ;  and  Colonel  Symes,  in  the  ac- 
count of  his  embassy  to  the  kingdom  of  Ava,  which  ■with  Pegu,  Aracan, 
and  Laos,  now  constitute  the  Birman  empire,  describes  the  people  as 
Budhists  or  of  the  sect  of  Fo;  indeed  their  customs  and  appearance,  us 
well  as  their  religion,  seem  to  indicate  a  Chinese  or  Tartar  origin. 

S  S 


322  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

ground-work  of  their  religion  is  to  be  looked  for  from  the 
priests  of  the  present  day,  who  are  generally  very  ignorant; 
but  I  suspect  the  dedication  of  the  Lotos  to  sacred  uses  to  be 
much  older  than  the  introduction  of  Hindu  mythology  by  the 
priests  of  Budlia.    They  even  ascribe  the  fable  of  eating  the 
flower  to  the  mother  of  their  first  emperor  Foo-shee ;  and  the 
Lotos  and  the  lady  are  equally  respected  by  all  the  sects  in 
China ;  and  even  by  the  Man-tchoo  Tartars,  whose  history 
commences  with  the  identical  story  of  a  young  virgin  con- 
ceiving and  bearing  a  son,  who  was  to  be  the  progenitor  of  a 
race  of  conquerors,  by  eating  the  flo\A^er  of  a  water-lily.    If,  in- 
deed, any  dependence  is  to  be  placed  on  the  follo^ving  well 
known  inscription,  found  on  an  ancient  monument  of  Osiris, 
Egj^tian  rites  may  be  supposed  to  have  made  their  way  into 
the'  East,  and  probably  into  China ;  or,  on  the  other  hand, 
those  of  the  East  adopted  by  the  Eg}-ptians,  at  a  period  of  very 
remote  antiquit)\    "-  Saturn,  the  youngest  of  all  the  gods,  was 
"  my  father.    I  am  Osiris,  who  conducted  a  large  and  nume- 
*'  rous  army  as  far  as  the  deserts  of  India,  and  travelled  o^er 
*'  the  greatest  part  of  the  world,  &c.  &c." 

It  may  not,  perhaps,  be  thought  improbable  (I  offer  it,  how- 
ever, merely  as  conjecture)  that  tlie  story  of  Osiris  and  Isis  was 
known  in  China  at  a  very  early  period  of  the  history  of  this 
country.  Osiris,  king  of  Egypt,  and  husband  of  Isis,  was 
•worshipped  under  the  form  of  an  ox,  fi'om  his  having  paid  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  pursuits  of  agi^iculture,  and  from  cm- 
ploying  this  animal  in  the  tillage  of  the  ground. 

*•  Primu3  aratra  manu  solerti  fecit  Osiris." 

Osiris  first  constructed  ploug-hs  with  dext'rous  skill. 

Historians  say  that  Isis,  on  the  murder  of  her  husband,  en- 
joined the  priests  of  Egypt,  by  a  solemn  oath,  to  establish  a 
form  of  worship  in  which  divine  honours  should  be  paid  to 
their  deceased  prince ;  that  they  should  select  what  kind  of 
animal  they  pleased  to  represent  the  person  and  the  di^•inity  of 
Osiris,  and  that  they  should  inter  it  with  solemn  funeral  ho- 
nours when  dead.  In  consideration  of  this  apotheosis,  she  al- 
lotted a  portion  of  land  to  each  sacerdotal  body.  The  priests 
were  obliged  to  make  a  vo^v  of  chastity ;  their  heads  were 
sha\'en  and  they  went  barefooted.  Divine  honours  were  like- 
wise conferred  on  Isis  after  her  death,  and  she  was  worshipped 
under  tlie  form  of  a  cow. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  S23 

Now,  although  the  festival  in  China,  at  which  the  emperor 
holds  the  plough  in  the  coninienccnient  of  the  spring,   be 
considered  at  this  day  as  nothing  more  than  a  political  institu- 
tion, and  continued  as  an  example  to  the  loA\er  orders  of  peo- 
ple, an  incitement  for  them  to  pursue  the  labours  of  agricul- 
ture as  the  most  important  employment  in  the  state ; — yet, 
as  this  condescension  of  the  sovereign  militates  so  strongly 
against  all  their  maxims  of  government,  ^^■hich  place  an  im- 
mense distance  between  him  and  the  first  of  his  people,  it 
may  not,  perhaps,  be  much  amiss  in  supposing  it  to  have 
originated  in  some  rehgious  opinion.     Indeed,  he  still  con- 
tinues to  prepare  himself  for  the  solemn  occasion,  by  devoting 
three  days  entirely  to  pious  ceremonies  and  rigid  devotion. 
On  the  day  appointed  by  the  tribunal  of  mathematics,  a  cow 
is  sacrificed  in  the  tee-tan,  or  temple  dedicated  to  the  earth ; 
and  on  the  same  day,  in  some  of  the  pro^•inces,  die  figure  of 
a  cow  of  baked  clay,  of  an  immense  size,  is  carried  in  pro- 
cession by  a  number  of  the  peasantn-,  followed  bv  the  princi- 
pal officers  of  government  and  the  other  inhabitants.     The 
horns  and  the  hoofs  are  gilded  and  ornamented  ^^■ith  silken 
ribbands.     The  prostrations  being  made  and  the  oflerings 
placed  on  the  altar,  the  earthen  cow  is  broken  in  pieces  and 
distributed  among  the  people.     In  like  manner  the  bodv  of 
Osiris,  Morshipped  afterwards  under  the  form  of  an  ox,  \\'as 
distributed  by  I  sis  among  the  priests;  andthelsia*  were 
long  celebrated  in  Egypt  in  the  same  manner  as  the  festiAal 
of  hokUng  the  plough  is  at  this  day  observed  in  China,  both 
being  intended,  no  doubt,  tx)  commemorate  the  persons  \\ho 
had  rendered  the  most  solid  ad\antages  to  the  state,  by  the 

*  No  festivals,  perhaps,  were  so  universally  adopted  and  so  far  ex- 
tended, as  those  in  honour  of  Isis.  They  not  only  found  their  way  into 
every  part  of  the  east,  but  from  Greece  they  were  also  received  by  the 
Romans,  aTid  from  these  they  passed  into  Gaul.  It  has  even  been  con- 
jectured, that  the  modern  name  of  Paris  has  its  derivation  from  a  tem- 
ple that  was  dedicated  to  this  52;oddess,  zr«p«  <c-«v,  not  very  distant  from 
this  ancient  capital  of  Gaul.  The  city  arms  are  a  ship,  which  Isis  was 
depicted  to  hold  in  her  hand,  as  the  patroness  of  navigation.  In  fact,  a 
statue  of  Isis  t  is  said  to  have  been  preserved  with  £;rcat  care  in  the 
church  of  Saint  Germain  until  the  bcginaing  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
when  the  zeal  of  a  bigotted  cardinal  caused  it  to  be  demolished  as  an 
unsanclified  relick  of  pagan  superstition. 

t  Encyclopedic  des  Connoissances  Humaines. 


324  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

encouragement  they  liad  held  out  for  the  cultivation  of  the 
ground. 

The  disputes,  quarrels,  persecutions  and  massacres,  that 
have  happened  at  various  times  among  the  different  sects  of 
Christianity  in  Europe,  have  not  been  much  less  violent,  nor 
productive  of  less  dreadful  consequences,  between  the  sect 
of  immortals  and  that  of  Fo,  in  China,  M-hene^'er  the  court, 
or  rather  the  intriguing  eunuchs,  seemed  to  favour  the  opinions 
of  one  sect  in  preference  to  those  of  the  other.  Persecutions 
never  failed  to  begin  whenever  either  party  was  fortunate 
enough  to  gain  over  to  its  side  the  chief  of  the  eunuchs,  who 
had  always  sufficient  influence  with  the  reigning  monarch  to 
pre^'ail  upon  him  to  espouse  the  same  cause.  They  were, 
however,  wars  of  priests  alone  in  which  the  people  remained 
neutral,  or  took  no  active  part.  Whole  monasteries  have 
been  levelled  \\'ith  the  ground,  and  thousands  of  priests  put 
to  death  on  both  sides.  Since,  however,  the  accession  of 
the  present  Tartar  dynasty,  they  have  met  with  no  pai'ticular 
marks  of  favouf  or  distinction  ;  and,  on  that  account,  are  ap- 
parently reconciled  to  each  other ;  indeed,  they  are  scarcely 
distinguishable  either  by  their  temples  or  by  their  dress.  The 
prediction  of  future  events  being  best  suited  to  the  minds  of 
the  multitude,  and  most  sought  after,  the  oracle  of  fate  may 
be  consulted  in  any  temple,  whether  of  Fo  or  of  Tao-tze. 
The  government  interferes  not  in  religious  opinions,  and  it 
gi^^es  no  support  to  any  particulai'  sect,  except  that  of  the 
Lama,  whose  priests  are  paid  and  maintained  as  a  part  of  the 
imperial  establishment.  The  Tartar  officers  of  state  are  like- 
wise attached  to  the  faith  of  the  Lama,  without  the  absurdi- 
ties that  have  been  mixed  with  it  by  the  immortals. 

However  strictly  the  Avomen  may  be  kept  at  home  by  the 
customs  of  the  country,  they  are  nevertheless  permitted,  on 
certain  occasions,  to  consult  their  destiny  at  the  altar,  with- 
out being  exposed  to  the  censure  of  vulgarity  or  impropriety. 
Barren  wives  are  even  encouraged  to  visit  the  temples,  not  so 
much  for  the  purpose  of  knowing  their  destiny,  as  under 
a  firm  belief  that,  by  rubbing  the  bellies '  of  certain  little 
copper  gods,  they  shall  conceive,  and  bear  children.  But, 
the  women  in  general  who,  from  habit,  feel  little  inclination 
to  stir  abroad,  except  on  very  pressing  occasions,  encourage 
a  set  of  fortune-tellers,  mountebanks  and  jugglers,  -who  thus 
pick  up  a  livelihood  by  travelling  the  country  and  telling  for- 


\ 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINAi  325 

tunes  from  house  to  house.  They  are  known  by  a  \vretched 
sqiuilling  flute,  on  A\hich  they  play,  and  are  beckoned  to  call 
where  their  ait  is  required.  By  being  made  acquainted  with 
the  day  and  hour  of  a  person's  birth,  they  pretend  to  cast  his 
nativity,  whicli  is  called  swan-ming,  or  the  art  of  discovering 
events  by  means  of  numbers.  A  Chinese,  even  in  the  higher 
ranks,  has  no  great  idea  of  a  man's  learning,  if  he  be  igno- 
rant of  the  sAvan-ming.  I  Avas  \'ery  frequenll}-  applied  to  at 
Yuen-min-yuen,  b}-  persons  in  office,  to  know  if  I  could  tell 
them  their  fortiuie ;  and  it  was  difficult  to  persuade  them  I 
had  any  knowledge  of  the  asti-onomical  instruments  intended 
for  the  emperor,  after  professing  my  ignorance  in  casting  a 
nativity. 

The  priests  of  both  sects  arc  supposed  to  be  no  less  attentl^'c 
in  keeping  up  a  perpetual  fire  burning  upon  the  altars  than  tlie 
Roman  Vestals  v^•ere  in  tliis  respect ;  but  no  expiation  nor  pun- 
ishment being  considered  necessai'}',  as  in  the  latter  case,  they 
cannot  boast  that  "  flames  unextinguish'd  on  their  altiirs 
'•  shine."  They  are,  in  fact,  frequently  extinguished  by  care- 
lessness or  accident.  No  \'ii-gins  attend  this  holy  flame  ;  but 
the  charge  of  it  is  committed  generally  to  young  bo)-s  under 
training  for  the  priesthood.  Like  the  Greeks  and  the  Romans, 
the  Chinese  ha\'e  also  their  penates  or  household  gods,  which 
are  not  represented  under  any  particular  personiHcation,  but 
generally  by  a  tablet  bcai'ing  a  short  inscription  and  a  taper 
burning  before  it.  E\'ery  ship,  however  small,  has  its  tablet 
and  its  taper  ;  and  within  the  compass-box  or  binnacle  a  taper 
is  continually  kept  burning. 

In  every  city,  town  and  village,  sometimes  in  the  midst  of 
woods,  in  the  mountains  and  most  lonely  places,  are  small 
temples,  the  doors  of  A\hich  are  continually  left  open  for  the 
admittance  of  such  as  may  be  desirous  of  consulting  their  des- 
tiny. The  practical  part  of  Chinese  religion  may,  in  fact,  be 
s:iid  to  consist  in  predestination.  A  priest  is  not  at  all  necessary 
for  imravelling  the  book  of  fate.  If  any  one  be  about  to  un- 
dertike  a  journey,  or  to  purchase  a  wife,  or  to  build  a  house, 
or  above  all  to  buiy  a  deceased  relation,  and  any  doubt  should 
arise  in  his  mind  as  to  the  fortunate  result  of  such  undertaking, 
he  repairs  to  the  nearest  temple  ;  and,  if  he  should  not  be  able 
to  read  himself,  he  takes  a  friend  by  the  hand  Avho  can.  On 
the  altar  of  every  temple  is  placed  a  wooden  cup,  filled  with  a 
number  of  small  sticks,  marked  at  the  extremities  with  certain 


S25  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

characters.  Taking  the  cup  in  liis  hands,  he  shakes  it  till  one 
of  the  sticks  falls  upon  the  [ground,  and,  having  examined  the 
character  upon^  it,  he  looks  for  the  corresponding  mark  in  a 
book  ^^•hich  is  generally  appended  to  the  wall  of  the  temple. 
'I'he  lot,  in  this  manner,  is  cast  several  times,  and  if  one  lucky 
stick  in  three  should  happen  to  turn  up,  he  is  M'illing  to  con- 
sider the  omen  as  favourable ;  and,  if  the  event  should  answer 
the  expectation  he  has  been  led  to  form  from  the  book  of  fate, 
he  considers  it  as  a  duty  to  return  to  the  temple  and  to  burn 
a  sheet  or  t^'o  of  painted  paper,  or  of  paper  covered  \\ith  tin 
foil,  and  to  deposit  a  few  pieces  of  copper  money  on  the  altar, 
in  token  of  gratitude  for  tlie  favour  he  has  recei^^ed.*  In  this 
manner  is  consumed  the  greatest  part  of  the  tin  that  is  carried 
to  China  by  the  tradi?1g  companies  of  Europe.  I  have  already 
o])served  that  they  ha'v'e  no  communion  of  worship  to  offer 
up,  in  a  public  manner  their  prayers  or  thanksgivings. 

Formerly  it  was  the  custom  to  bury  slaves  -with  emperors 
and  princes,  and  sometimes  also  their  concubines,  alive ;  but 
this  cruel  practice  has  given  x^ay,  in  modem  times,  to  the  more 
harmless  one  of  burning  representations  of  their  domestics  in 
tin  foil,  cut  into  the  shape  of  human  beings,  and  of  placing 
their  statues  in  wood  or  stone  upon  their  gi-a-v-es ;  fhis  seems 

*  The  present  emperor  shewed  his  gratitude  for  his  prayers  having 
been  heard,  by  granting  in  a  public  edict  an  additional  title  to  the  temple 

in  which  they  were  offered. 

IMPERIAL  EDICT. 

"  The graciousfirotecting  temjile  of  the  king  of  the  drago7i5,  on  thz  mown' 
"  tain  of  Yu'Chun,  has  on  every  occasion  of  draught  proved  favourable 
"  to  our  prayers  offered  up  there  for  rain,  as  duly  observed  on  our  sacred 
"  registers.  From  the  summer  solstice  of  the  present  year,  a  great  warrt 
••'  of  rain  has  been  experienced,  on  which  account  we  were  induced,  on 
"  the  17th  of  this  moon,  to  offer  up  our  prayers  and  sacrifices  in  person 
"  at  the  said  temple.  During  the  very  same  day,  a  fall  of  ^mall  rain  or 
"  dew  was  observed,  and,on  the  day  following,  the  country  was  relieved  by 
*'  frequent  and  copious  showers.  This  further  proof  of  efficacy  in 
"  granting  our  requests,  augments  our  veneration  and,  in  testimony 
"  whereof,  we  direct  that  the  temple  of  the  propitious  divinity  shall 
"  receive  an  additional  title,  and  be  stiled  on  all  future  occasions, 

"   77ie   gracious  in  p.rotectingy  and  efficacious  in  preservings   the 

"  temple  of  the  king  of  the  dragons. 
^  Be  our  tvill  obeyed." 

Pekin  Gazette ^  2od  day  of  ssh  Moon^  of  6th  year  of  Kia-Kini^, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  327 

to  be  the  remains  of  a  Scythian  or  Tartar  custom,  \\  hlch,  ac- 
cording to  Herodotus,  was  commonly  observed  at  the  funerals 
of  dieir  sovereigns,  when  their  horses,  their  slaves,  and  their 
concubines  were  impaled  alive,  and  placed  in  order  round  the 
tyrant's  tomb.  The  last  remains  of  a  relation  are  interred  with 
sdl  the  honours  that  the  family  can  afibrd.  I  never  passed  be- 
tween the  capital  and  Yuen-min-}  uen  ^\  idiout  observing  num- 
bers of  funeral  processions.  I'hose  of  great  officers  of  stiite 
would  sometimes  extend  for  neaily  half  a  mile.  The  train  \\ as 
usually  arranged  in  the  following  order.  In  front  mai'chcd  a 
priest  uncovered,  next  a  groupe  of  musicians  with  flutes,  trum- 
pets, imd  cymbals ;  after  these  the  male  relations  of  the  de- 
ceased in  long  wliite  frocks,  and  behind  them  the  chief 
mourner,  supported  by  U\o  friends,  \^hose  exertions  to  pre- 
vent him  from  tearing  his  cheeks  and  haii'  appeared  to  be  truly 
ridiculous.  Then  followed  the  coffin,  covered  by  a  magnificent 
canopy,  and  borne  generally  by  four  men,  sometimes  by  eight. 
After  the  canop)',  the  female  relations  proceeded  in  chairs,  or 
more  generally  in  the  Ihtle  covered  carts,  wearing  white  frocks 
like  the  men,  their  hair  dishevelled,  and  broad  ^\hite  fillets 
bound  across  their  foreheads.  On  approaching  a  bridge  or  a 
temple  the  procession  alwa}s  halted  ^vhile  the  priest  burned 
little  images  of  tin  foil,  or  let  oft'  a  few  crackers,  upon  m  Inch 
the  noisy  gong  and  the  rest  of  the  band  made  a  flourish. 

The  famous  feast  of  lanterns,  A\iien  the  ^vholc  empire  is 
lighted  up,  from  one  extremity  to  the  odier,  in  every  possible 
way  that  fancy  can  suggest,  is  an  ancient  religious  usage,  of 
which,  at  the  present  day,  tliey  can  gi^  e  no  plausible  account. 
It  is  just  possible  that,  among  other  Egyptian  ceremonies,  this 
may  be  one  derived  from  a  common  origin  \\  ith  an  annual 
illumination  of  the  same  kind  mentioned  by  Herodotus ;  which 
was  generally  observed,  from  tlie  -catai'aets  of  the  Nile  to  die 
borders  of  the  Mediterranean,  by  hanging  lamps  of  difterent 
kinds  to  the  sides  of  die  houses.  On  this  day  the  Chinese 
not  only  illuminate  their  houses,  but  they  also  exercise  their 
ingenuity  in  making  transparencies  in  the  shape  of  different 
animals,  \\ith  whicii  they  run  through  the  streets  by  night. 
The  effect  when  perfcctlv  dark  is  whimsical  enough.  Birds, 
beasts,  fishes,  and  other  animals  are  seen  darting  through  the 
air,  and  contending  w  ith  each  other ;  some  with  squibs  in  their 
mouths,  breadiing  fire,  and  others  Avith  cmckers  in  their  tails  : 
some  sending  out  skj'-rockets,  others  rising  into  pyramids  of 


328  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

party-coloured  fire,  and  others  bursting  like  a  mine,  v^ith  vio- 
lent explosions.  But  the  most  ingenious  are  those  that,  Pro- 
teus-like, change  their  shape  from  time  to  time,  and  under 
every  form  exhibit  a  different  display  of  lire-works. 

I  have  observed,  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  that  tlie 
temples  are  occasionally  appropriated  to  the  use  of  state- 
officers,  embassadors  and  other  public  characters,  when  tra- 
velling through  the  country,  there  being  no  other  houses 
affording  accommodations  equally  suitable.  On  quitting  the 
temple  it  is  generally  thought  necessary  to  perform  an  act 
of  reverence  bordering  on  devotion,  not  however  to  the 
Deity,  but  to  the  name  of  the  emperor  inscribed  on  the 
altar.  This  custom,  together  with  that  of  depositing  rice 
and  other  grain,  tea  and  oil  at  certain  seasons,  especially  on 
the  day  of  his  nativity,  although  perhaps,  in  tlie  first  in- 
stance, a  token  only  of  respect  and  gratitude,  and  in  the 
other  an  acknowledgment  of  his  being  the  sole  proprietary 
of  the  soil,  are  nevertheless  acts  that  tend,  from  the  sanctity 
of  the  place  where  they  are  performed,  to  the  encouragement 
of  idolatry.  By  thus  associating  the  offerings  made  to  the 
Deity  and  to  the  monarch,  the  vulgar  become  apt  to  magnify 
the  pov^'er  of  the  latter,  and  to  raise  it  on  a  level  with  that  of 
the  fonner.  A  Chinese,  in  speaking  of  a  propitious  CA^ent 
occurring,  either  in  his  own  or  any  other  country  generally 
atti^ibutes  it  to  the  joint  will  of  heaven  and  the  emperor  of 
China. 

The  conversion  of  the  temples  into  lodging-houses  is  at- 
tended with  some  temporal  advantages  to  the  priests,  by  the 
donations  tliat  are  generally  made  on  such  occasions.  Most 
of  them  being  supported  entirely  by  voluntary  contributions 
and  trifling  legacies  that  may  be  left  by  pious  persons,  they  are 
thankful  for  the  smallest  gifts  :  for  as  there  is  little  or  no  con- 
nexion between  the  church  and  the  state,  they  d^ive  no  pay, 
nor  emolument,  nor  preferment,  from  the  latter.  The  em- 
peror pays  his  own  priests,  which  are  those  of  all  his  Tartar 
subjects  ;  the  Chinese  Confucionists,  or  men  of  learning,  and 
the  state  officers  contribute  to  the  maintenance  of  theirs,  whe- 
ther of  Fo  or  Tao-tze,  and  the  mass  of  the  people,  from  the 
prevailing  propensity  of  enquiring  into  futurity,  afford  the 
means  of  support  to  many  thousands,  I  might,  perhaps,  say 
millions  of  priests,  by  the  offerings  caiTied  to  the  altars  when- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  329 

ever  they  find  it  necessary  to  consult  the  book  of  fate,  which 
is  done  on  most  of  the  common  occurrences  in  hfc. 

From  the  short  view  I  have  here  taken  of  the  diiTerent 
sects,  I  think  it  may  justly  be  concluded  that  the  primiti^■c 
religion  of  China  no  longer  exists,  or  exists  only  in  a  cor- 
rupted state  ;  diat  there  is  at  present  no  national  nor  scared}' 
a  state  religion  :  and  that  the  aiticles  of  faith  are  as  various 
as  tlic  modes  of  A\orship ;  in  all  of  which  the  people  appear  to 
be  rather  actuated  by  the  dread  of  c\il  in  this  life  than  by  the 
fear  of  punishment  in  another  :  that  the  duties  tliey  perform 
are  more  with  a  aIcw  to  appease  an  angry  deit}-,  and  to  avert 
impending  calamities,  thim  from  iiny  hope  of  obtaining  a 
positive  good  :  tliat  they  rather  consult  or  enquire  of  their  gods 
■what  may  happen,  than  petition  them  to  accomplish  or  avert 
it ;  for  a  Chinese  can  scarcely  be  said  to  pray  ;  he  is  grateful 
when  the  event  proves  favourable  to  his  wishes ;  petulent 
and  pee\'ish  \\ idi  his  gods  ^hen  ad\erse. 

Little  as  the  priests,  or  tlie  numerous  noviciates  that  are 
found  in  all  the  principal  temples,  are  employed  in  the  duties  of 
their  ofiicc,  or  in  worldly  concerns,  they  are  not  less  uncleanly 
in  dieir  persons  and  apaitments  than  those  are  whose  time  is 
taken  up  in  providing  for  the  necessities  of  life.  The  room, 
in  \\hich  some  of  us  should  have  slept,  was  so  full  of  scor- 
pions and  scglopendras,  and  they  crept  in  such  numbers  into 
our  beds,  that  ^\'e  were  fairly  driven  out,  and  obliged  to 
swing  our  cots  in  the  open  air,  between  two  trees.  Here 
we  were  not  mych  less  annoyed  by  myriads  of  musquitoes 
and  the  unceasing  noise  of  the  chirping.cicadas,  which  con- 
tinued without  intermission  until  the  still  more  noisy  gong 
announced  the  break  of  da}-,  and  summoned  di^  holy  men 
to  their  morning  devotions. 


T  t 


CHAP.  IX. 

JOURNEY  FROM  TONG-CHOO-FOO  TO  THE  PROVINCE  OF  CAN- 
TON— FACE  OF  THE  COUNTRY,  AND  ITS  PRODUCTIONS- 
BUILDINGS  AND  OTHER  PUBLIC  WORKS— CONDITION  OF  THE 
PEOPLE  —STATE  OF  AGRICULTURE— POPULATION. 


Attentions  paid  to  the  embassy — Observations  on  the  Climate  and  Plains  of  Pe. 
tche-lee. — Plants  of. — Diet  and  condition  of  the  people. — Burying-place. — 
Observations  on  Chinese  Cities. — Trackers  of  the  yachts. — Entrance  of  the 
Grand  Canal. — The  fishing'  Corvorant. — Approach  to  the  Yellow-River. — 
Ceremony  of  crossing  this  river. — Observations  on  Canals  and  Roads. — Im- 
provement of  the  Country  in  advancing  to  the  southward. — Beauty  of,  near 
Sau-choo-foo. — Bridge  of  ninety-one  arches. — Country  near  Hang-choo-foc— 
City  of. — Appearance  of  the  country  near  the  Po-yaug  lake. — Observations  in 
proceeding  tlirough  Kiang-see. — The  Camellia  Sesanqua. — Retrospective  view 
of  the  climate  and  produce,  diet  and  condition  of  Uie  People,  of  Pe-tche-lee.— 
Some  observations  on  the  capital  of  China. — Province'of  Shan-tung. — Of  Kiang- 
nan. — Observations  on  the  state  of  Agriculture  in  China. — Rice  mills. — Pro- 
vince of  Tche-kiang. — Of  Kiang-see. — Population  of  China  compared  with 
that  cf  England. — Erroneous  Opinions  entertained  on  this  subject. — Compara- 
tive population  of  a  city  in  China  and  in  England. — Famines  accounted  for.— 
Means  of  prevention. — Causes  of  the  populousness  of  China. 

ON  the  8th  of  October  we  embai'ked,  for  the  second 
time,  on  the  Pei-ho,  in  yachts,  however,  that  were  very  dif- 
ferent fi"om  those  on  which  we  had  ascended  the  river, 
being  much  smaller,  but  broader  in  proportion  to  their  length, 
and  SO  shallow  ai^id  flat-bottomed,  that  they  required  littJc 
depth  of  ^'.ater  ;  yet  we  found  them  sufficiently  commodious. 
Of  the  necessity  of  such  a  change  in  the  accommodation, 
}  achts,  on  account  of  the  low  state  of  the  river,  we  were 
speedily  convinced,  which,  previous  to  our  embarkation, 
had  been  by  some  attributed  to  a  different  cause.  It  was 
supposed  that  the  men  in  office  diroughout  the  country  piqued 
at  the  refusal  of  the  einbassador  to  submit  to  their  degrading 
ceremony,  m  ould  not  fail  to  retaliate  die  affront,  by  depriving 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  331 

us  of  every  little  comfort  and  convenience,  and  by  otherwise 
rendering  tlie  long  journey  before  us  extremely  unpleasant. 
The  character  of  the  people  at  large  justified  such  a  conclu- 
sion ;  and,  I  believe,  eveiy  individual  had  laid  his  account 
of  meeting  ^\ith  difficulties  and  disagreeable  occurrences  on 
the  journey  to  Canton.  In  justice,  however,  to  those  who 
had  the  sin^erintendence  of  the  embassy,  and  particular!}-  to 
the  two  most  worthy  characters,  Van  and  Chou,  \\ho  were 
more  immediately  connected  with  its  concerns,  it  is  but  fair 
to  observe  that  no  attention  was  wantinc^,  nor  expense  spared, 
to  render  our  situation  as  easy  and  comfortable  as  possiblei 
Supplies  of  every  kind  ^vere  sent  on  boai'd  in  the  greatest 
profusion,  and  with,  the  most  scrupulous  punctualit)^ :  and, 
as  a  sii"tgular  proof  of  attention  shewn  to  us  in  the  commence- 
ment of  this  journey,  our  conductors,  having  observed  that 
we  used  milk  ^v  ith  our  tea,  had  purchased  two  fine  coX^'s  in 
full  milk,  Mhich  were  put  on  board  a  jacht  prepared  for  their 
reception,  for  a  supply  of  that  article.  And,  it  was  observed, 
that  whenever  the  chief  officers  of  the  provinces,  through 
which  the  embassy  was  to  pass,  prepared  an  entertainment 
in  honour  of  the  occasion,  they  had  given  themselves  all 
jiossible  trouble  to  render  it  more  acceptable,  by  endeavouring 
to  serve  it  up,  as  tliey  thought,  in  the  English  style.  In 
some  of  those  feasts  we  had  hogs  roasted  whole,  that  could 
not  have  weighed  less  than  fifty  pounds  ;  quaiters  of  mutton, 
geese,  ducks,  and  fowls,  roasted  or  boiled  whole,  a  mode 
of  cookeiy  altogether  different  to  the  practice  of  the  countr}-, 
which  is  chiefly  confined  to  that  of  stewing  small  morsels  of 
meat  M'ith  greens  or  rice.  The  awkward  manner  in  which 
they  were  prepared,  being  generall}'^  burnt  and  glazed  over 
with  oil,  was  entitled  to,  and  found  an  ample  excuse  in  the 
desire  thus  testified  of  pleasing. 

From  the  time  that  we  first  embai'ked,  in  August,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Pei-ho,  or  White  River,  until  our  return,  \\e 
experienced  only  a  single  shower  of  rain.  It  is  observ^ed, 
indeed,  that  during  die  autumnal  months  the  northern  pro- 
vinces enjoy  a  cloudless  sky  ;  an  ad\'antage  of  A^hich  they 
avail  themselves  in  thrashing  out  the  diflferent  kinds  of  gi-ivjn 
in  the  field  ;  thus  saving  the  labour  of  bearing  it  into  barns, 
or  piling  it  into  stacks.  It  is  either  thrashed  out  on  clay 
floors  with  flails,  similar  to  our  owni,  beat  out  of  die  ear 
iigainsttlie  edge  of  a  plank,  or  trodden  by  oxen  or  buffaloes. 


d32  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

The  grain  that  we  had  noticed  just  striking  into  the  ear,  on 
ascending  the  ri\'er,  A^as  now  generally  reaped.  It  consisted 
principally  of  the  different  species  of  millet,  as  before  ob- 
served, and  a  small  proportion  of  the  polygonum  fagopyrura 
or  buckwheat.  A  species  of  dolichos  or  bean,  that  had  been 
soA\n  between  die  drills  of  tlie  holcus,  or  tall  millet,  was 
now  in  floA\er. 

The  range  of  Fahrenheit's  thermometer  in  the  province  of 
Pe-tche-lee,  during  the  month  of  August,  v.as  fi'om  80°  to 
88°  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  during  tlie  night  it  remained 
generally  about  60°  to  64°.  In  September,  the  medium 
temperature  at  two  o'clock  was  about  76° ;  and  in  October 
about  68°  ;  but  in  the  latter  month  it  decreased  in  the  night 
sometimes  to  44°. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Pei-ho  a  light  sandy  soil 
chiefly  prevails,  with  a  mixture  of  argillaceous  earth  and  slimy 
matter,  interspersed  with  shining  particles  of  mica :  but  not  a 
stone  of  any  magnitude,  nor  pebbles,  nor  even  gravel,  occur 
in  the  whole  extent  of  country  through  AA"hich  this  river  is 
navigable.  The  surface,  indeed,  is  so  flat  and  uniform,  that' 
the  tide,  which  rises  only  nine  or  ten  feet  in  the  gulph  of 
Pe-tche-lee,  fioAvs  to  the  distance  of  thirty  miles  beyond  Tien- 
sing,  or  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river; 
and  it  frequently  submerges  the  A\hole  countr}*,  notA^ithstand- 
ing  the  great  pains  bestovvcd  by  the  inhabitants  in  raising  and 
keeping  in  order  artificial  banks.  Such  inundations,  although 
frequently  the  causes  of  great  fertilit}^,  are  sometimes  pro- 
ductive of  general  calamity,  especially  if  they  happen  at  a 
season  when  the  crop  is  too  far  advanced.  These  plains  exhi- 
bit the  appearance  of  a  more  than  ordinary  encroachment  of 
the  land  upon  the  sea.  I'he  general  level  of  the  face  of  the 
country,  at  high  A\ater,  is  not  more  ele\'ated  than  tuo  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  river,  of  ivhich  not  only  the  bed, 
but  also  the  substratum  of  the  enclosing  banks,  is  composed 
entirely  of  fine  sand  similai^  to  that  on  the  shore  of  the  sea. 
The  deepest  pitrt  of  the  wide  gulf  of  Pe-tche-lee  exceeds 
not  twelve  fathoms,  and  the  prodigious  number  of  small 
sandy  iskuids,  just  appearing  above  the  surface,  are  said  to 
have  been  created  witliin  the  records  of  histor}-.  A  great 
portion  of  the  enormous  mass  of  mud  that  is  peipetually 
wafted  down  the  Yello^v  River,  and  which  was  found  by  ex- 
periment to  exceed  two  million  solid  feet  in  an  hour,  is  borne 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  533 

by  a  strong  current  from  the  Yellow  Sea  into  the  gulf  of 
Pe-tche-lee,  where  ihc  stillness  of  the  water  allows  it  to  sub- 
side. In  tlie  map  of  Marco  Polo,  which  \\as  most  probably 
cdpied  by  him  from  one  in  the  possession  of  Gengis-khan, 
or  some  of  the  learned  men  about  his  court,  Tien-sing  is 
placed  upon  the  sea  coast ;  and  a  branch  of  the  Yellow  River, 
after  ii^iversing  the  provinces  Kiang-nan,  Shang-tung,  and 
part  of  Pe-tche-lce,  in  the  direction  nearly  of  the  present  canal, 
discharges  itself  into  the  gulph  near  the  Pei-ho.  Were  this 
braftch  of  the  river  actually  turned,  the  rapidity  with  which 
the  gulpli  of  Pe-lche-lee  is  hlling  up  is  the  less  surprising,  as 
the  only  stream  to  keep  its  waters  in  motion  at  present  istlie 
Pei-ho.  It  has  been  calculated  that,  by  the  simple  turning  of 
the  great  river  that  falls  from  \Vinandermere-lake,  the  estuary 
of  Morecombe  Bay,  which  it  now  crosses,  would,  in  the  natu- 
ral course  of  events,  be  converted  in  a  fev/  years  into  a  green 
meado^^•.  If  the  above-mentioned  chart  be  correct,  it  \\  ould 
prove  also  that  the  Mongul  Taitars  did  actual!}'  first  bilng 
the  grand  na\'igation  of  Cliina  to  the  state  in  w  hich  it  now 
apjicars. 

This  uniform  plain  of  China  afforded  little  interest  to  the 
tra^•eller.  Few  trees  appeared,  except  now  and  then  a  clump 
of  firs  surrounding  a  temple,  or  the  plantations  contiguous  to 
the  dwelling  of .  some  officer  of  government.  In  such  situa- 
tions were  also  large  elms,  willows,  and  a  species  of  ash  un- 
known in  Europe.  There  Mere  no  hedge-rows.  Property 
here  is  divided  only  by  naiTo\\'  ditches,  serving  at  the  same 
time  for  drains,  or  by  ridges  of  unploughed  ground,  as  in 
the  common  fields  of  England,  which  answer  the  pm-pose 
of  foot-paths.  These  ridges  were  generally  well  coATred  witji 
that  family  of  running  trefoil,  known  by  the  name  of  Melilotos, 
intermixed  widi,  a  species  of  poa  or  m.cadow  grass,  a^•ena  or 
wild  oats,  and  briza  or  quaking  gi^ass.  In  the  ditches,  beside 
the  common  reed,  the  arundo  phragmites,  v.'ere  grov.ing  t^\o 
species  of  cypcrus,  and  a  scirpus  or  club-rush.  None  of  the 
artificial  grasses  tisually  so  called,  are  cultivated  by  the  Chi- 
nese. It  is  not  an  object  ^\ith  them  to  fodder  their  cows  for 
the  sake  of  obtaining  a  greater  quantity  of  milk,  this  nutri- 
tive article  of  food  being  ^'ely  sparingly  used  either  in  its  raw 
state, or  in  any  preparation  ;  and  they  are  either  ignorant  of 
the  processes  of  converting  it  into  butter  and  cheese,  or, 
for  certain  reasons,  prefer  to  employ  the  little  they  make  use 


334  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

of  in  its  original  state.  Horses  are  rarely  kept  for  luxury 
or  for  labour ;  and  the  few  animals  employed  in  agricul- 
ture, which  aie  mostly  asses,  mules,  or  buffaloes,  subsist  in 
the  winter  season  on  chaff  and  straw  ;  and  their  chief  support  in 
the  summer  is  derived  from  the  strong  grasses  that  grow 
in  the  ditches  and  the  common  reed,  with  which,  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  lai-ge  tracts  of  swampy  ground  are  co- 
vered. 

On  approaching  Tien-sing,  we  observed  several  large  fields, 
cultivated  with  a  vegetable  called  by  the  Chinese  the  pe-tsai, 
or  white  herb,  apparently  a  species  of  brassica  or  coal ;  though 
insipid  in  its  taste,  being  not  unlike  that  of  the  cos-lettuce,  it 
is  held  in  preference  to  all  other  vegetables ;  and  the  capital  is 
most  abundantly  supplied  with  it,  in  the  summer  season,  fresh 
from  the  gardens  in  its  vicinity,  and,  in  tlie  winter,  salted  and 
prepared  somewhat  in  the  same  manner  as  the  sour-krout  of 
the  Gennans.  We  obsei-vcd  also,  in  the  gardens,  carrots,  tur- 
nips, black  radishes,  a  species  of  asparagus,  the  solanum  me- 
longena,  a  species  of  physalis,  or  winter-cherry,  water-melons 
and  musk-melons,  pumpkins  and  cucumbers.  Onions  and 
garlic  were  common  vegetables  planted  near  eveiy  peasant's 
house.  The  trapa,  or  water-caltrops,  grew  in  the  ditches,  the 
nuts  of  which,  \^'ith  the  seeds  and  the  roots  of  the  nelum- 
bium,  generally  furnished  out  our  desert ;  to  which,  indeed, 
sometimes  were  added  tolerably  good  peaches,  dry  spongy 
apples  not  unlike  quinces  in  appeai^ice,  and  pears  of  an  im- 
mense size,  but  of  a  harsh  and  austere  taste. 

However  unfavourable  the  countr}"^  might  be  for  an  extended 
cultivation,  which  did  not  appear  to  be  the  case,  the  proximity 
to  the  capital  would  have  led  one  to  expect  a  corresponding 
population.  Nothing  of  the  kind  appeared ;  the  vast  num- 
bers v\^e  had  observed  in  ascending  the  ri\'er  were  drawn  from 
the  distance  of  many  miles  out  of  mere  curiosity ;  the  inhabit- 
ants only  of  the  vicinity  now  shewed  themselves ;  and  we  were 
rather  surprised  at  the  fewness  of  these,  as  ^a  ell  as  at  the  very 
ruinous  and  miserable  condition  of  almost  ail  the  cottages. 
These  mean  huts  were  built,  some  of  half-burnt  bricks  and 
others  of  cla}' ,  and  they  were  thatched  with  the  straAv  of  grain 
or  with  reeds.  Some  were  enclosed  within  walls  of  mud, 
or  with  a  kind  of  coarse  matting  made  of  reeds,  or  the  stalks 
of  the  holcus  forghum,  which  enclosure  generally  contained 
'the  families  of  two  or  three  generations,  the  cattle,  pigs, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  33^ 

poultry,  and  all  the  living  creatures  belonging  to  the  establish- 
ment. The  Chinese  have  a  common  saying,  that  "  although 
*'  there  be  poverty  without  Pekin,  there  is  plenty  within  its 
"  walls."  The  appearance,  indeed,  of  all  the  peasantry  in  this 
province  was  mai'ked  ■with  every  indication  of  poveny ;  nor 
was  the  condition  much  better  of  tiiose  who  ^^•ere  employed 
about  the  vessels  which  cai'ricd  the  embassador  and  his  train. 
With  the  greatest  thankfulness  they  recei\ed  the  offals  of  our 
allowance ;  and  the  tea-leaves,  which  ^^•e  had  used,  Avere  sought 
after  by  them  with  avidity,  and  boiled  up  for  their  beverage. 
A  little  boiled  rice,  or  millet,  with  a  few  vegetables,  commonly 
the  Pe-tsai,  and  onions,  fried  in  oil,  constituted  their  principal 
meals,  of  which  they  made  only  two  regular  ones  in  the  day ; 
one  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  other  at  four  or 
five  in  the  afternoon.  They  generally,  ho^vever,  had  the  fiy- 
ing-pan  on  tlic  fire  at  tliiee  or  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
I'he  Avine  or  liquor,  Avhich  we  received  in  large  jars,  and 
A\  hich  was  so  miserably  bad  as  not  to  be  used,  afforded  a  great 
treat  to  the  poor  people,  whose  circumstances  seldom  allo\ved 
them  to  taste  it.  This  liquor  is  brewed  from  a  mixture  of  rice 
and  millet,  and,  from  its  quickly  turning  sour,  seems  to  have 
little  strength,  and  to  have  undergone  a  very  imperfect  degree 
of  feiTuentation.  Their  hot  wine  is  seldom  used,  except  by  the 
upper  class  of  people,  who,  not  satisfied  with  the  strong  empy- 
reumatic  fla^•our  communicated  in  the  distillation,  drink  it  boil- 
ing hot  in  the  midst  of  summer. 

At  Tien- Sing  our  principal  conductor  Sun-ta-gin  had  pre- 
pared for  us  a  sumptuous  entertainment,  consisting  of  excellent 
mutton,  pork,  venison,  and  poultry  of  all  kinds,  a  great  variety 
of  confectionar}^  of  fruits  then  in  season,  peaches,  plums, 
grapes,  chesnuts,  ^valnuts,  and  water- caltrops.  We  very  soon 
found,  indeed,  that  we  w^ere  treated  with  more  studied  atten- 
tion, with  a  more  marked  distinction,  and  with  less  constraint, 
than  when  we  ascended  the  ri\  er.  Our  dignified  conductor 
made  no  difficulty  in  allo\ving  us  to  walk  on  shore  as  much  as 
we  pleased ;  but  recommended  us  not  to  quit  the  banks  of  the 
river  for  fear  of  retarding  the  yachts,  or  of  being  left  behind. 
He  hinted  to  us,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  officers  Van  and 
Chou  would  be  responsible  at  court  for  any  accident  tliat  might 
happen  to  us,  so  long  as  \vc  were  under  the  protection  of  die 
emperor, 


336  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

.  In  passing  Tien-sing  we  found  considerable  difficulty  in 
getting  our  Heet  tlii-ough  the  immense  crowds  of  shipping,  of 
ever)'  description,  that  \'.ere  collected  there  to  remuin  tor  the 
winter ;  among  which  Avere  about  five  hundred  of  tlie  empe- 
ror's revenue  vessels,  with  grain  for  the  capitiil.  The  Eu-lio, 
or  precious  river,  called  also  the  Yun-leang-lio,  or  ri\er  upon 
which  grain  is  transported,  falling  from  the  westwaixl,  ioiins, 
at  tlie  head  of  this  city,  a  confluence  witii  the  Pei-ho.  Our 
barges  were  at  least  four  hours  in  getting  through  the  multi- 
tude of  vessels  that  \\ere  moored,  lor  their  winter-quarters,  in 
this  small  river ;  a\  hich,  however,  is  rendered  important  by  its 
communication  with  the  grand  artificial  canal. 

Having  passed  the  fieet  of  shipping  and  the  suburbs,  a  plain, 
extending  beyond  the  reach  of  sight,  opened  out  on  the  left  of 
the  river,  upon  which  were  observed  many  thousands  of  small 
sandy  tumuli,  of  a  conical  form,  resembling  those  hillocks 
which  in  myriads  are  thrown  up  on  the  continent  of  Africa  by 
the  termites,  or  white  ants.  In  several  parts  of  this  plain  were 
small  buildings,  in  the  form  of  dwelling-houses,  but  not  ex- 
ceeding four  or  five  feet  in  height;  in  odier  places  were  circu- 
lar, semicircular,  and  squai'e  enclosures  of  stonework,  and  here 
and  there  were  interspersed  small  pilku'sof  stone  or  brick,  and 
other  erections,  of  e^'ery  vaiiety  of  form.  This  was  the  first 
common  bur}-ing- ground  that  we  had  observed,  except  a  very 
small  one  at  Tong-tchco ;  and  tiie  tumuli  and  the  different 
erections  marked  out  the  mansions  of  the  dead.  In  many 
parts  of  tills  extensive  enclosure  we  met  with  massy  coffins  Iv- 
ing  upon  the  surface,  some  new,  others  nc^vly  painted,  but 
none  in  a  mouldring  state.  It  was  explained  to  us,  by  our  in- 
teqircter,  that  some  of  those  coffins  had  been  deposited  there, 
until  the  proper  advice  should  be  obtained  from  the  priest  or 
the  oracle  consulted,  or  from  casting  lots,  as  to  the  most  pro- 
pidous  place  of  intennent,  and  the  most  favourable  day  for 
performing  tlie  obsequies  ;  some  "were  placed  there  till  the 
pecuniaiy  circumstances  of  the  surviving  relati\'es  would  en- 
able them  to  bestow  a  suitable  interment,  and  others  were  left 
to  dry  and  moulder,  to  a  certain  degree,  in  order  to  be  burnt 
and  the  ashes  collected  and  put  into  stone  jai's  or  rather  recep- 
tacles.*    On  no  occasion  do  the  Chinese  bury  their  dead 

*  From  a  passage  in  the  manuscript  journal  of  a  Chinese  who  accompanied 
the  Dutch  embassy  it  would  appear,  that  the  art  of  embalming  the  dead  was  once 
known  and  practised  in  this  countiy.     He  observes,  that  at  Ou-tchi  there  is  a 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  337 

within  the  precincts  of  a  city  or  to\^'n,  much  less  within  the 
walls  of  their  temples  ;  but  always  deposit  them  at  a  proper 
distance  from  tlie  dwellings  of  the  living,  in  which  respect  they 
have  fnore  discretion  than  the  Europeans;  who  not  only  allow 
the  interment  of  dead  bodies  in  the  midst  of  their  populous 
cities,  but  have  thrust  them  also  into  places  of  public  worship, 
where  croAvded  congregations  are  constantly  exposed  to  the 
nauseous  effluvia,  and  perhaps  infection,  arising  from  putrid 
carcases.  Yet,  so  tenacious  are  the  people  of  the  pri^■ilege 
of  interment  within  die  walls  of  the  church,  in  some  countries 
of  Europe,  diat  any  attempt  to  discontinue  the  imprudent 
custom  would  be  attended  with  some  degree  of  danger,  as 
happened  to  tlie  late  grand  duke  of  Tuscany,  who,  having 
built  a  commodious  and  spacious  cemetery  \vithout  the  city 
of  Florence,  to  which,  it  was  intended  to  remove  tlie  coffins 
out  of  the  vaults  of  the  church,  had  nearly  raised  a  rebellion 
among  his  subjects.  In  Render's  tour  through  Germany,  an 
instance  is  given  of  the  fatal  eflects  of  burjing  in  churches, 
the  relation  of  which  makes  one  shudder  w  ith  horror. 

The  bank  of  die  river  being  one  of  the  inclosing  fences  to 
the  burying  ground,  was  ornamented  with  beautiful  weeping 
willows,  which,  witli  a  few  solitary  cypresses  interspersed 
among  tlie  tombs,  were  the  only  trees  that  appeai^ed  in  this  part 
of  the  eountr}-. 

In  a  corner  of  the  cemeteiy  was  a  temple,  built  after  the 
usual  plan,  with  an  altar  in  the  centre ;  and  a  number  of  de- 
ities moulded  in  clay  were  ranged  on  each  side  on  stone  ped- 
estals. We  observed  no  priests;  but  an  elderly  lady  w^as 
very  busily  employed  in  throwing  the  sticks  of  fate,  in  order 
to  obtain  a  lucky  number  in  which,  however,  she  failed.  Dur- 
ing the  operation  of  shaking  the  cup,  her  countenance  betrayed 
a  greater  dcgi'ec  of  eagerness  and  anxiety  than  usually  appears 
on  the  face  of  a  Chinese ;  and  she  left  the  temple  in  a  pee\'ish 
and  muttering  tone,  sufficiently  expressive  of  tlie  greatness  of 
her  disappointment,  which,  it  seemed,  was  no  less  than  a  re- 
fusal, on  the  part  of  the  oracle,  to  hold  out  the  hope  of  her 
being  blessed  with  a  secorid  husband.    Till  this  circumstance 

temple  or  pagoda,  inhabited  by  a  number  of  priests  who  shew  the  bodyef  a  very 
ancient  bonze,  prepai'ed  in  such  a  manner,  and  filled  with  such  ingredients,  that 
it  does  not  decay,  but  remains  perfectly  entire.  He  is  dressed  in  his  robes  of 
ceremony,  and  in  his  hand  he  holds  a  machin©  wliich  was  invented  by  him  for 
cleaning'  rice. 

V   U 


336  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

had  been  ejLplained  to  us  by  the  keeper  of  the  temple,  it  was 
conchided  that  the  old  lady  had  been  muttering  imprecations 
against  us  for  disturbing  her  in  the  midst  of  her  devotions. 

After  two  da}'s'  sail  from  Tien-sing  we  arrived  at  a  city  of 
the  third  order,^^  called  Tchien-shien.  The  surf.ice  of  the  in- 
terjacent coimtry  had  continued  the  same  uniform  plain,  aa  ith- 
out  a  pebble  in  tlie  soil :  the  extent  of  cultivation  by  no  means 
extraordinary ;  and  the  few  scattered  villages  of  mean  houses 
indicated  no  great  degree  of  population ;  the  dwellings  that 
floated  on  the  A\'atcr  ^vere  numerous  and  crowded  ^^•ith  inhabit- 
ants. We  observed  several  plots  of  yoimgAA  heat  rising  in  drills 
a  few  inches  above  tlic  ground ;  buck- wheat  AA'as  in  full  flower ; 
and  several  plantations  of  the  cotton  plant,  goss}'pium  herba- 
ceum,  were  in  pod,  some  of  them  perfectly  ripe.  Fahrenheit's 
thermometer  on  the  14th,  15th,  and  16th  of  this  month  stood 
at  52*^  and  53^  in  the  morning,  and  about  70'^  in  the  middle 
of  the  da}-. 

On  the  ITtJi,  beside  a  great  number  of  towns,  villages  and 
military  posts,  which  are  regularly  placed  at  inter-C'als  of  about 
three  miles,  v.c  passed  two  cities  of  the  third  order,  one  of 
\A'hich,  from  the  length  of  its  walls,  appeared  to  be  of  very 
considerable  importance.  No  true  idea,  however,  can  be 
formed  of  the  population  and  magnitude  of  a  Chiilese  cit}^  by 
the  extent  of  its  enclosing  \vails.  Few  are  without  large  patches 
of  unoccupied  ground  vv  ithin  them,  A\-hich,  in  many  instances, 
tar  exceeds  the  quantity  of  land  that  is  built  upon.  Even  in 
that  part  of  the  capital  called  the  Chinese  city,  several  hundred 
acres  are  under  cultivation.  The  imperial  cit}%  containing  the 
palace  and  buildings  for  the  oflicers  of  state,  the  eunuchs  and 
artificers,  occupies  very,  nearly  a  squai'e  mile,  more  than  two- 
thirds  of  Avhich  is  a  kind  of  park  and  pleasure  grounds ;  and 
imder  the  north  wall  of  die  Tartar  cit}^  there  is  a  pond  or  swamp 
covered  almost  with  the  Nelumbium,  which  appeared  to  be 
fully  twice  the  dimensions  of  Lincoln's-Inn-Fields,  or  four 
times  their  space,  namely  near  fift}^  acres.  Such  spaces  of  un- 
occupied ground  might  perhaps  have  been  reserved  for  tlie 


*  For  the  convenience  of  collecting  and  distributing  the  taxes  raised 
in  kind,  the  districts,  and  cities  within  them,  are  divided  into  three  clas- 
ses, distinguished  by  the  adjuncts  foo,  tchoo,  shien.  The  shien  is  an- 
sweral)le  to  the  tchoo  ;  the  tchoo  to  the  foo  ;  and  the  foo  to  the  board  of 
revenue  in  the  capital. 


trav?:ls  in  china.  339 

use  of  the  inhabitants  in  case  of  sies^,  as  the  means  of  suppl\'- 
ing  a  few  vegetables  of  the  pungent  kind,  as  onions  and  gai'hc, 
for  tlie  besieged,  which  ai'e  the  more  necessary  for  a  people 
who  use  so  small  a  portion  of  animal  food,  and  little  or  no  milk. 
Thus  tlie  cities  of  Babylon  and  Nineveh,  ^^  hich  were  so  fre- 
quently exposed  to  the  calamities  of  \\  ar  and  siege,  had  gar- 
dens and  corn-lands  within  their  walls. 

On  the  1 8th  •'.ve  passed  two  cities  and  a  great  numl)er  of 
towns  and  villages ;  the  face  of  the  country  still  le\  el,  and  en- 
tirely open ;  not  a  hedge-row  appealing  on  any  side,  and  veiy 
few  trees.  Almost  all  the  vessels  that  we  met  in  the  course  of 
the'day  v^cre  laden  ^vith  sacks  of  cotton-wool.  This  being  the 
night  of  full  moon,  we  Avere  allowed  to  enjoy  ver\-  little  rest. 
The  observance  of  the  usual  ceremonies,  which  consist  of  firing 
their  small  petaixls,  beating  at  intervals  the  noisy  gong,  harsh 
squalling  music  and  lire-\\  orks,  required  that  our  \ci5sels  should 
remain  stationary ;  and  these  nocturnal  orgies  ceased  only  with 
the  appeai'ance  of  the  sun.  There  was,  hov\'ever,  anodiei"  cause 
of  detention  at  this  place.  In  sailmg  against  the  stream  of  the 
lui-ho,  it  was  necessiiry  the  barges  should  be  tracked  b}'  men  ; 
and  these  men  were  to  be  pressed  or  forced  into  this  laborious 
service  from  the  villages  bordering  upon  the  riAer.  The  usual 
Wdy  of  doing  this  ^\as  to  send  out  the  soldiers  or  attcndimts  of 
the  oflicers  before  the  vessels,  in  the  dusk  of  tlie  evening,  to 
take  the  poor  wretches  by  sui"prisc  in  their  beds.  But  the 
ceremony  of  the  full  moon,  by  retarding  their  usual  hour  of 
retiring  to  rest,  had  put  diem  on  their  guaixl;  and,  on  the 
approach  of  the  emissaries  of  government,  all  that  Mere  liable 
to  be  pressed  into  this  service  had  absconded ;  so  that,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  noise  of  the  gongs  and  the  trumpets  and  crackers, 
our  eai's  were  frequentl}-  assailed  by  the  cries  and  Umientations 
of  persons  under  the  punishment  of  the  bamboo  or  the  whip, 
for  claiming  their  exemption  from  joining  the  yachts  and  act- 
ing as  trackers.  When  die  gi-oupe  that  had  been  collected  for 
tliis  purpose  was  brought  togedicr  in  tlie  moniing,  it  was  im- 
possible not  to  regard  it  with  an  c} e  of  pity.  Most  of  them 
consisted  of  infirm  and  decrej:)it  old  men ;  and  the  rest  ^vere 
such  lank,  sickly-looking,  ill-clothed  creatures,  diat  the  whole 
groupe  appeared  to  be  much  fitter  for  an  hospitivj  dian  for  per- 
forming any  kind  of  labour.  Our  companions  pretended  to 
sa\^  that  every  farmer,  who  rented  lands  upon  the  public  rivers 
or  canals,  was  obHgcd,.  I)y  the  tenure  on  which  he  held  biij 


340  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

lease,  to  furnish  such  a  number  of  men  to  track  the  vessels  in 
the  service  of  government,  A\henever  it  might  be  required ; 
but  that,  on  the  present  being  an  extraordinary  occasion,  tliey 
had  icsohed  to  pay  them,  as  they  called  it,  in  a  handsome 
manner,  ^^-hich  A\as  at  the  rate  of  something  less  than  seven- 
pence  a  day,  without  any  allowance  for  returning  to  their 
homes ;  a  price  for  labour  v.  hich  bore  no  sort  of  proportion 
to  that  of  the  necessaries  of  life ;  and  it  was  even  doubtful  if 
this  pittance  was  ever  paid  to  tliem. 

Having  cleared  the  fleet  of  shipping  that  w^  assembled  at 
this  place,  a  favourable  breeze  relieved  our  invalids,  and  ren- 
dered their  slender  exertions  unnecessary  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  day,  in  the  course  of  which  we  entered  the  province  of 
Shan-tung.  In  this  province  nothing  Morthy  of  notice  oc- 
curred until  the  22d ;  when  we  quitted  the  Eu-ho,  and  turn- 
ing tow'ai'ds  the  south,  entered  the  grand  canal,  out  of  which 
wc  observ'ed  a  gentle  current  flowing  into  the  riv^r.  At  this 
point  of  junction  the  pagoda  of  Lin-tsin,  an  octagonal  pyramid, 
A\as  erected,  perhaps  as  a  monument  of  this  great  and  useful 
undertaking,  which,  hov/ever,  in  its  present  state,  apparently 
liad  riOt  stood  many  ages.  In  the  hope  of  finding  witliin  it 
some  inscription,  that  might  point  out  its  designation,  we 
mounted  "with  some  difliiculty  upon  the  first  of  its  nine  stages 
or  roofs  (for  the  little  door  on  a  level  \^ith  the  ground  was 
walled  up  v.  ith  bricks),  but  it  contained  only  the  bare  walls ; 
not  e^  en  a  stair-case  remained,  nor  any  possible  hope  of  ascend- 
ing to  the  top ;  and  the  lower  part  was  choakcd  up  with  rub- 
l)ihh.  These  pagodas  (or  as  the  Chinese  name  them  Ta),  that 
bO  frequently  occur  in  the  counUy,  seem  to  be  intended  only 
as  embellishments  to  particulai'  grounds,  or  objects  to  termi- 
nate vistas  or  prospects.  Sometimes,  it  is  true,  they  appear  as 
appendages  to  temples,  but  are  never  appropriated  for  the  pur- 
poses of  sacred  worship.  Whatever  their  intention  might  have 
been,  it  should  seem  the  rage  of  building  them  no  longer  ex- 
ists :  not  one  of  a  late  erection  having  appeared  in  the  whole 
country,  and  more  than  two-thirds  of  those  we  saw  being  ia 
ruins. 

At  the  junction  of  the  canal  with  the  Eu-ho  there  was  no 
lock  nor  flood-gate  ;  the  gentle  current  of  the  former  was  in- 
terrupted only  from  place  to  place,  by  loose  planks  let  down 
in  grooves  cut  in  stone  piers.  These  dams  seldom  occasioned 
the  diflference  of  a  foot  in  the  level  pf  the  \vater  ;  and  at  each 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  341 

was  a  guard-house  with  double  the  usual  number  of  soldiere 
stationed,  to  assist  in  drawing  up  or  letting  douii  the  planks, 
as  occasion  might  require.  The  canal,  which  at  the  commence- 
ment was  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  feet  in  width,  \vas  con- 
tracted at  such  places,  by  the  stone  piers  of  the  flood-gates, 
to  about  diirty  feet. 

Towards  the  evening  of  the  23d,  as  we  approached  the  city 
Tong-tchang-foo,  we  were  much  amused  with  a  military  ma- 
ncEuvre,  which  was  evidently  intended  to  astonish  us.  Under 
the  walls  of  the  city  about  three  hundred  soldiers  Mere  drawn 
out  in  a  line,  whicli,  however,  the  darkness  of  tlie  night  had 
rendered  imisible.  But  just  as  wc  were  coming  to  anclior, 
each  soldier  at  the  sound  of  the  gong,  produced  from  under  his 
cloak  a  splendid  hmtern,  with  a\  hich  he  went  through  a  regular 
manual  exercise.  The  follo\\"ing  morning  we  observed,  for 
the  first  time,  a  few  hillocks  breaking  the  line  of  the  horizon 
to  the  eastw'ard,  The  country  appe:u'ed  to  be  in  a  tolerable 
state  of  cultivation  ;  but  the  mode  of  tillage  exhibited  no  extra- 
ordinary degree  of  skill  or  of  labour.  Villages  of  considerable 
extent  \vere  erected  along  the  banks  of  the  canal,  at  inter\als 
of  about  three  miles  from  each  other  :  and,  in  the  gar- 
dens, contiguous  to  these,  grew  in  abundance  the  tobacco- 
plant  whose  leaves  were  small,  hair}-,  and  viscous,  and  the 
flowers  of  which  were  of  a  greenish  yello\\-,  passing  into  a  faint 
rose-colour  at  the  edges  of  the  petals.  We  observed  also  small 
patches  of  hemp.  A  greater  use  is  made  of  the  seeds  and  leaflets 
of  this  plant,  as  a  substitute  for  or  to  mix  with  tobacco,  than 
of  its  fibres  for  cloth,  a  purpose  to  which  it  is  as  rarely  con- 
^'erted  by  the  Chinese  as  by  the  Hindoos,  being  little  esteemed 
for  those  valuable  uses  to  which,  since  its  introduction  into  Eu- 
rope, it  has  been  applied.  The  nimiber  of  lateral  branches, 
which  in  a  warm  climate  each  stem  dirows  out  close  above  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  breaks  the  length  of  fibre,  and  renders  it 
unfit  for  those  purposes  for  which,  in  the  northern  regions  of 
Europe,  its  tall  branchless  stem  is  so  well  adapted.  The  sow- 
thistle,  a  plant  that  occurs  in  almost  eveiy  part  of  the  Avorld, 
was  nothing  diflerent  here  from  its  usual  habit  in  Europe.  We 
observed  also  a  species  of  Chenopodium  and  of  Artemesia,  or 
wormwood  ;  abundance  of  the  Pe-tsai,  and  other  common 
culinary  vegetables.  In  the  smiill  flower-gardens,  without  which 
we  scarcely  observed  a  single  cottage,  were  balsams,  several 
kinds  of  beautiful  asters,  holy-hocks,  two  species  of  Malva, 


342  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

an  Amarantlius,  and  the  sho^^  y  and  liandsome  shrub  the  Ne- 
rium  Oleander. 

Having  passed,  on  t]ie  26th  October,  the  walls  of  the  city 
Tsie-ning;,  where  a  multitude  of  small  craft  \\  ere  lying  at  an- 
chor, we  came  to  au  extensive  lake  of  the  same  name,  navi^ 
gated  by  a  great  number  of  sailinj^  boats.  From  the  east  side 
of  this  lake  the  canal  was  separated  only  by  an  immense  mound 
of  earth.  To  the  AAcstAvai'd  the  \\'hole  countr}',  beyond  the  reach 
of  sight,  was  one  continued  swamp  or  morass,  upon  Avhich  were 
interspersed  pools  or  ponds  of  ^^-ater  abounding  with  die  Ne- 
lumbium,  at  this  time  in  full  flower.  The  morass  being  several 
feet  below  the  surflice  of  die  ^later  hi  the  canal,  afforded  the 
means  of  regulating  the  quantity  ;  and  accordingly,  at  certam 
distances,  we  observed  stone  arches  turned  in  the  eai'then  em- 
bankment to  let  off  the  su})erfluo«s  ^vater  tliat  might  be  occa- 
sioned by  the  swelhng  of  the  feeding  rivers.  About  this  place 
also,  it  was  remai^ked,  thiijt  the  bed  of  the  canal  was  cairicd  in 
a  line  so  netu'ly  horizontal,  that  the  water  had  a  gentle  cun-ent 
cither  to  the  northward  or  the  south v.aixl,  according  as  these 
§luiccs  were  kept  sliut  or  thrown  open  ;  this  line  being  ascer- 
tained, perhaps,  rather  by  tlie  surface  of  the  lake  than  by  the 
assistance  of  instruments  ;  for  it  was  sufficiently  remarkable, 
that  no  opportunity  had  been  omitted  in  canying  this  great 
work  along  the  side,  or  through  the  middle,  of  lakes  or  other 
pools  of  water  wherever  it  could  be  done. 

The  naturp  of  the  countiy  admitted  of  such  management 
for  tlirce  days'  journey,  or  atjput  eight}'  miles  froip  Tsie-ning. 
The  ^vhole  of  this  extensive  plabi  consisted  in  lakes  or  sv,  ampy 
ground  half  covered  A\ith  "water.  On  the  Ibrmer  were  constant- 
ly seen  moving  about,  vessels  \\  ith  sails  and  boats  of  every  de- 
scription, com'eying  an  animated  picture  of  activity,  industry, 
a.id  commerce.  Almost  all  the  lakes  "^vere  studded  "^vith  islands, 
zu\d  these  were  covered  widi  villages,  that  were  chiefly  inha- 
bited by  fishermen.  Here,  for  tlie  first  time.  Me  osDserved  the 
Leu-tze  or  fishing  corvorant,  the  Pelicanus  Sinensis,  diving 
after  the  linny  tribe,  and  seemingly  no  less  anxious  than  its 
master  to  take  them.  This  bird  is  so  like  another  species  of 
the  ]>clican,  allied  the  Carbo,  or  common  corvoj'ant,  which  in 
Ena:land  as  naturalists  inform  us,  Avas  formerly  tr:iined  for 
iishing,  that  it  has  usually  been  considered  the  same ;  but,  fi'om 
several  specimens  brought  home  \i  ith  us,  it  appears  to  be  a 
different  species.    The  usual  practice  is  to  take  ten  or  t^v^ly^ 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  S43 

of  these  birds  in  the  morning,  when  fasting,  upon  a  raft 
of  bambo9-poles  lashed  together,  and  to  let  one  or  two  at  most 
at  a  time  dive  for  fish,  which  are  taken  from  them  tlic  mo- 
ment they  bring  them  to  the  surface.  These  birds,  not  much 
larger  than  the  common  duck,  will  seize  and  gri}>e  fast  fishes 
that  are  not  less  than  their  own  weight,  ^^'hcn  the  proprietor 
judges  the  first  pair  to  be  prett}-  well  fatigued,  they  are  suftcred 
to  feed,  by  wixy  of  encouragement,  on  some  of  the  fish  the}'  ha^•e 
taken,  and  a  second  pair  are  dispatched  upon  the  water.  The 
fish  we  observed  them  to  take  was  a  species  of  pearch.  In  the 
course  of  three  day's  navig-ation,  we  saw  several  thousand  boats 
and  rafts  employed  in  this  kind  of  fishing. 

Elixcept  on  the  \vater  and  tlie  islands,  the  \\  hole  of  the 
s^^'ampy  country  might  be  said  to  be  uninhabited,  and  totally 
\oid  of  any  kind  of  cultivation.  Sometimes,  indeed,  a  iew 
miserable  mud  huts  appeared  on  the  small  hillocks  that  here 
and  tliere  raised  their  heads  out  of  the  dreary  ^\'aste  of  morass ; 
but  the  chief  Inhabitiints  were  cranes,  herons,  guillemots  and 
a  vast  ^'ariety  of  other  kinds  of  birds  that  frequent  the  watez's 
and  swamps.  Here  too  arc  gi'cat  numbers  of  tliat  singular 
imd  beautiful  bii'd,  the  anas  galericulata,  usually  kno^vn  by 
the  name  of  the  mandarin  duck,  which,  like  the  gold  and 
silver  fishes,  is  caught  and  reared  as  an  article  of  sale  to  tlie 
opulent  and  curious.  The  great  extent  of  water  had  a  sen- 
sible cftect  on  the  temperature  of  the  air,  especially  in  the 
mornings  and  CACfiings,  when  Falirenheit's  thermometer  's^as 
sometimes  below  40°. 

Having  passed  the  lakes  and  swamps,  we  entered  suddenl}-, 
on  the  31st,  upon  a  most  delightful  pait  of  the  countJT, 
crowded  with  temples  and  villages  and  towns  and  cities,  near 
all  of  ^v•hich,  and  on  e\'er}-  part  of  the  canal,  wexQ  vast  num- 
bers of  the  revenue  vessels,  collecting  the  surplus  taxes  paid 
in  kind,  in  order  to  transport  them  to  the  capital.  Wheat 
and  cotton  appeai'ed  to  be  the  two  principal  articles  of  culture. 
The  surface  of  the  countjy  was  nov/  broken  into  hill  and  dale, 
every  inch  appeared  to  be  under  tillage,  except  the  summit 
of  the  knolls,  whjch  were  generally  cro\v-ned  with  forest  trees, 
and  few  of  the  detached  houses  ortemj^lcs  uere  without  ex- 
tensive gardens  and  orchards.  Apjiles,  pears,  plums,  peaches, 
apricots  and  pomegranates,  were  the  common  kinds  of  fi-uit, 
and  the  culiuiuy  ^egetables  were  the  same  as  those  of  Pe-tche- 
Icc.     The  canal  at  this  place  is,  perhaps,  the  grandest  inlapd 


344  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

navigation  in  the  whole  world,  being  nearly  a  thousand  feet 
in  w  idth  and  bordered  on  each  side  by  stone  qua3's,  built  \vith 
massy  blocks  of  gi^ey  marble  mixed  ^ith  others  of  granite ; 
and  this  immense  aqueduct,  although  forced  up  several  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  countr}',  by  embankments  thro^\n 
up  by  tlie  labour  of  man,  flowed  with  a  current  of  three 
miles  an  hour  nearl}^  towards  the  Yellow  RiA-er,  to  which 
we  perceived  we  w-ere  fast  approaching,  by  tlie  bustle  and 
activity  both  on  shore  and  on  the  numberless  canals  that 
branched  out  in  every  direction  from  the  main  trunk ;  on 
whose  banks,  for  several  miles  on  either  side,  one  continued 
town  extended  to  the  point  of  junction  with  this  large  river, 
celebrated  in  every  period  of  the  Chinese  histor}-.  A  \'illage 
was  particularly  pointed  out  b}"  the  bargemen,  \\hose  name 
was  derived  from  a  miracle,  which  is  most  sacredly  believed 
by  the  Chinese.  Tradition  siiys,  that  the  famous  astronomer 
Heu  was  carried  up  to  heaAcn  in  his  house,  which  stood  at 
this  place,  leaving  behind  him  an  old  faithful  servant  who, 
being  thus  depri\^ed  of  his  master  and  his  habitation,  was 
reduced  to  bes:gary ;  but  happening  by  accident  to  tlii'ow  a 
little  prepared  rice  into  the  ground,  it  immediately  grew  and 
produced  grain  without  chaff  for  his  sustenance ;  from  whence 
the  place  is  called  Sen-mee,  rice  grooving  ready  di'essed,  to 
this  da)-. 

Before  our  barges  launched  into  the  stream  of  the  Yellow 
River,  which  rolled  in  a  very  rapid  torreitt,  certain  ceremo- 
nies were  conceived  to  be  indispensably  necessar}^  In  the 
practical  part  of  religion  (which  indeed  may  be  considered  as 
nearlv  the  Avhole)  a  Chinese  is  not  less  solicitous  to  avert  a 
possible  evil,  than  to  procure  an  eventual  good ;  and  of  all 
evils,  personal  danger  is  most  apprehended.  It  ^\-as  there- 
fore deemed  expedient  that  an  oblation  should  be  made  in 
every  vessel  of  the  fleet  to  the  genius  of  the  river.  I'he  ani- 
mals tliat  were  sacrificed,  on  this  occasion,  A\ere  diflferent  in 
diflerent  yachts,  but  the}'  generally  consisted  of  a  fowl^  or  a 
pig,  two  animals  that  were  very  common  in  Grecian  sacrifices. 
The  blood,  with  the  feathers  and  the  hair,  was  daubed  upon 
the  principal  parts  of  the  vessel.  On  the  forecastle  of  some 
were  placed  cups  of  wine,  oil  and  salt;  in  others,  tea,  flour 
and  salt;  and  in  others,  oil,  rice  and  salt.  The  last  article  ap- 
pears to  be  thought  by  the  Chinese,  as  Well  as  by  the  Hebrews, 
a  necessarj'  accompaniment  to  even,^  sacrifice.     "  Every  ob- 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  345 

**  lation  of  thy  meat-offering  shalt  thou  season  with  salt ; 
*'  neitlier  shalt  thou  suffer  the  salt  of  the  covenant  of  tliy  God 
"  to  be  lacking  from  thy  meat-offering."  As,  however,  the 
high  priest  and  liis  fiiends  wtve  to  feast  on  those  parts  of 
the  meat-offering,  which  ^vere  considered  as  um\orthy  the  ac- 
ceptance of  heaven,  which  parts,  by  the  way,  \\ere  always  the 
best  of  the  victim,  one  might,  perhaps,  assign  a  reason  for 
the  strong  injunction  of  offering  salt,  this  being  a  scai'ce  iirti- 
cle  in  many  countries  of  the  East  and  the  best  preseiTative  of 
meat  against  putrefaction.^ 

The  cups,  the  slaughtered  animal,  and  several  made-dishes, 
remained  on  the  forecastle,  the  captain  standing  o\"er  tlicm  on 
one  side,  and  a  man  with  a  gong  in  his  hand  on  the  other. 
On  approaching  tlie  rapid  pait  of  tlie  stream,  at  the  signal 
given  by  the  gong,  the  captain  took  up  the  cups  one  by  one, 
in  order  that,  like  the  Greeks  of  old,  he  might  "  perform 
*'  the  rites  and  pour  the  ruddy  wine;"  which  he  did  by 
throw  ing  their  contents  over  the  bow  of  the  vessel  into  the 
ri\  cr.  The  libation  performed,  a  quantity  of  crackers  and 
squibs  and  guilt  tin-foil  were  bunit,  with  uplifted  hands, 
\\ hilst  die  deep-sounding  gong  was  incessantly  struck  with 
increasing  Aiolence,  as  the  vessels  were  swept  along  with  the 
current.  The  victim  and  the  other  dishes  w  ere  then  removed 
for  the  use  of  the  captain  and  crew,  and  tlie  ceremony  ended 
by  three  genuflexions  and  as  many  prostrations.  The  em- 
peror is  never  satisfied  with  less  than  nine. 

Our  fleet  consisted  of  about  thirty  sail,  and  from  each  ves- 
sel there  proceeded,  on  its  launching  into  the  sti'eam,  such  a 
din  of  gongs  and  crackers,  and  such  volumes  of  smoke  from 
the  burnt  offerings,  that  the  deity  of  the  river  must  ha^•e  been 
in  a  very  surly  humour  if  he  was  not  pleased  with  such  a  mul- 
titude of  oblations.  The  safe  arrival,  on  the  opposite  bank, 
of  the  \\  hole  squadhan,  was  a  proof  of  his  ha"\  ing  accepted  the 
Iiomau:e,  and  accordin&'lv  he  was  a2"ain addressed  in  a  \ollev  of 
crackers,  as  a  token  of  thanks  for  his  propitious  and  friendly  aijd. 

•  The  far  et  mica  salis  were  parts  of  most  of  the  Roman  sacrifices  ;  and  salt, 
in  particular,  was  held  in  such  veneration,  and  in  such  general  use,  that  when  any 
one  obtained  a  salary  or  pension,  he  was  said  to  have  g-othis  salarium,  or  some- 
thing to  procure  his  salt,  in  the  same  sense,  as  we  say,  to  get  one's  bread ;  and  . 
a  common  expression  in  India,  denoting  service,  is,  I  eat  the  salt  of  such  a  one; 
and  the  Dutch,  in  speaking  of  a  dependent  say.  He  owes  his  salt  to  such  a  one. 
These  coincidences  of  opinion,  or  custom,  among  remote  nations,  however 
difficult  they  may  be  to  explain,  are  neverth^jless  sxtremely  intercsiing-,  and  are 
oo  that  account  liere  noticed. 

X  X 


345  IRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

The  Avidth  of  tlie  ri\-er  at  this  place  -vA'as  full  three  quarters 
of  a  mile;  and  the  stream,  where  strongest,  ran  M'ith  the  ra- 
pidity of  seven  or  eight  miles  an  hour ;  and  the  Avater  was  as 
thick  and  muddy  as  if  the  heaviest  toiTents  of  rain  had  just 
descended,  whereas,  in  fact,  there  had  not  'fallen  a  shower  for 
many  months. 

The  length  of  that  pait  of  the  canal  which  lies  between  the 
Eu-ho  and  the  Yellow  ri\'er,  and  m  hich  we  had  now  sailed  over, 
is  about  two  hundred  English  miles.     The  natural  slope  of 
the  country  being  from  North  to  South,  the  projectors  of  this 
work  seem  to  have  fixed  upon  the  middle  point,  or  nearly  so, 
between  these  two  rivers,  for  the  commencement  of  their  ope- 
rations :  so  tl^it,  from  this  middle  point  to  the  north\Aard,  or 
rising  part  of  the  country,  they  ha\'e  been  under  the  necessity, 
in  order  to  presence  their  level,  of  cutting  do^vn  to  the  depth 
of  thirty,  forty,  and  even  to  seventy  feet,  below  the  surface ; 
v\  hilst  from  the  same  point  to  the  southward,  or  descending 
part  of  the  country,  they  ha^•e  been  obliged  to  force  up  the 
water  between  immense  banks  of  earth  ajid  stone,  far  above 
the  level  of  the  flat  surface ;  consisting  almost  entirely  of  lakes, 
swamps,  and  morass.     The  quantity  of  human  labour  that 
must  have  been  employed,  in  amassing  together  the  different 
materials  that  compose  this  immense  aqueduct,  could  not 
have  been  supplied,  in  any  reasonable  length  of  time,  except 
in  a  country  where  millions  could  be  set  to  work  at  the  nod 
of  a  despot.     The  greatest  \\-orks  in  China  have  ah\ays  been, 
and  still  continue  to  be,  performed  by  the  accunmlation  of 
manual  labour,  without  the  assistance  of  machiner}',  except 
on  very  particular  occasions,  where  some  mechanical  power 
may  be  absolutely  necessary  to  be  brought  in  aid  of  human 
strength.     Thus,  ^here  canals  are  carried  o^^er  surfaces  that 
iire  too  hilly  and  imeven  to  admit  of  one  continued  level,  they 
descend  from  place  to  place,  as  it  were  by  steps,  at  each  of 
\\hich  is  an  inclined  plane ;  the  height  from  the  upper  canal 
to  the  lo'wer  being  generally  from  six  to  ten  feet ;  and  the 
angle  of  the  plane  from  fort}'-five  to  fifty  degrees.     All  vessels 
navigating  such  canals  must  be  hoisted  up  these  planes  by  the 
assistance  of  upright  capstans,  a\ ithout  which  it  Mould  scarcely 
be  possible  to  get  those  of  large  dmiensions,  together  with 
their  cargo,   out  of  one  canal  into  the  other ;  and  they  are 
gently  loM'ered  in  the  same  manner.     This  aAvkard  contriv- 
ance may,  perhaps,  less  imply  the  ignorance  of  locks  or  other 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  34r 

methods  practised  elsewhere,  than  the  unwillingness  of  the 
ii;overnment  to  suffer  any  innovation  tliat  might  be  the  means 
of  depriving  many  thousands  of  obtaining  that  scanty  subsist- 
ence whicli  they  now  deri\e  fiom  their  attend:mce  at  these 
capstans.  However  slightly  such  a  notion  may  be  held  in 
Kurope,  there  can  be  no  doubt  diat  a  general  introduction  of 
machinery  into  China,  for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  and  ex- 
pediting labour,  would,  in  the  present  sUite  of  the  country,  be 
attended  with  the  most  pernicious  and  distressing  conse- 
quences ;  were  it  only  for  this  simple  reason,  that,  despising, 
as  they  affect  to  do,  all  foreign  commerce,  the  demand  for  the 
products  of  machinery,  however  much  they  might  be  reduced 
in  price,  would  not  be  encreased,  whilst  that  of  manucl  labour 
would  be  considerably  diminished. 

Sensible  as  the  Chinese  seem  to  be  of  the  ad\'antages  derived 
from  an  easy  communication  between  the  different  parts  of 
the  empire,  by  means  of  canals,  it  is  the  more  surjirising  \\-hat 
the  motives  could  ha\e  been  that,  till  this  moment,  have  re- 
strained them  from  facilitating  an  intercourse  by  means  of  good 
nvads,  in  such  parts  of  the  countiy  as  have  no  inland  naA'iga- 
tions.  In  this  respect  they  full  sliort  of  most  civilized 
nations.  Except  near  the  capital,  and  in  some  few^  places 
v\  here  the  junction  of  the  grand  canal  with  navigable  rivers  is 
interrupted  by  mountainous  ground,  there  is  scarceh--  a  road 
in  the  whole  country  that  can  l)e  ranked  be3ond  a  foot-i)ath. 
Hence  it  happens  that,  in  the  northern  provinces,  during  win- 
ter, it  is  impossible  to  tra\'el  with  any  degree  of  ease,  conve- 
nience, or  safety ;  all  the  canals  to  the  north\\  ard  of  the  Yellow 
river,  which  runs  from  34^  to  35"  latitude  being  frozen  up. 
It  is  equally  surprising  that  their  ingenuity  has  not  extended 
itself  to  the  invention  of  sledges,  or  some  sort  of  carriages  suit- 
able for  travelling  on  ice,  Mhich  other  nations  ha^e  converted 
into  the  best  of  roads.* 

*  I  infer  that  such  is  not  the  practice  in  China,  from  the  manner  in 
%vhich  the  Dutch  embassadors  were  conveyed  to  and  from  the  capital  in 
the  middle  of  winter.  The  inconveniences  they  suffered  on  this  occasion 
are  such  as  can  scarcely  be  conceived  to  have  happened  in  a  civilized 
country.  The  perusal  of  the  manuscript  journal  I  have  elsewliere  no- 
ticed, conveyed  to  my  mind  the  idea  of  a  country  dreary  and  desolate, 
and  of  a  people  indigent  and  distressed,  without  humanity,  and  without 
Jiospitality.  They  travelled  in  little  bamboo  chairs,  carried  by  four  men, 
who  were  generally  so  weak  and  tottering  that  they  could  not  go  through 


348  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

The  continuativon  of  the  grand  caiial,  from  the  Yellow  river 
to  the  Yang-tse-kiang,  -was  construeted  upon  the  same  prin- 
ciples as  that  part  between  the  Yellow  river  and  tlie  Eii-ho. 
The  country  being  le^-el,  and  abounding  ^^-ith  lakes  and  marshy 
grounds,  it  was  carried  upon  a  mound  of  ciirth  kept  together 
by  retaining  \^'alls  of  stone  the  whole  distance,  which  is  about 
ninety  miles,  being  in  parts  not  less  than  t"wenty  feet  abo^-e 
the  general  IcA-el  of  the  countiy ;  and  the  sheet  of  ^^■ater  it 
contained  "was  two  hundred  feet  in  width,  running  sometimes 
at  the  rate  of  three  miles  an  hour.  Canals  of  communication 
supplied  it  from  the  west^^■ard ;  and  the  supeiiluous  \vater 
was  let  off  upon  the  low  marshes.     The  tops  of  the  walls  of 

the  day's  journey,  but  were  obliged,  frequently,  in  the  middle  of  the 
night,  to  halt  in  an  open  uninhabited  part  of  the  country,  Avhere  iiot  a 
hovel  of  any  description  was  to  be  met  with,  to  shelter  them  from  the 
inclemency  of  the  Aveather.  And  it  most  commonly  happened,  that  the 
lodgings  appointed  for  their  reception,  at  the  different  stages,  were  in 
such  a  miserable  condition,  admitting  on  every  side  the  wind,  rain,  or 
snow,  that  they  generally  preferred  taking  a  little  rest  in  their  bamboo 
chairs.  They  Avere  surprised  to  find  so  few  cities,  towns,  or  villages  in 
their  route,  and  not  less  surprised  at  the  ruinous  condition  in  Avhich  these 
few  appeared  to  be.  Near  the  capital  a  whole  city  exhibited  only  a  mass 
of  ruins.  In  many  places  they  found  the  country  under  water,  and  the 
mud  hovels  completely  melted  down.  Sometimes  they  passed  extensive 
wastes,  where  not  a  trace  was  visible  of  any  kind  of  cultivation,  nor  a 
single  dwelling  occurred  in  the  distance  of  eight  or  ten  English  Vniles. 
And  it  was  not  before  they  had  crossed  the  Yellow  river  that  they  per- 
ceived the  marks  of  v/heei-carriages  imprinted  on  the  roads,  which  were 
fiO  little  travelled  upon  that  they  could  with  difficulty  be  traced.  Here 
they  met  old  men  and  young  women  travelling  in  wheel-barrows,  and 
litters  carried  by  asses,  one  being  fixed  between  the  poles  before,  and  one 
behind.  The  rivers  had  no  bridges  over  them  ;  and  such  as  were  too 
deep  to  be  forded,  they  were  under  the  necessity  of  crossing  on  rafts  of 
bamboo.  In  short,  before  they  arrived  at  the  capital,  the  fatigue  and 
hardships  they  had  undergone  considerably  impaired  their  health,  and 
the  condition  of  their  clothing  was  such  as  to  excite  the  compassion  of 
the  mandarins,  who  made  them  a  present  of  twenty  sheep-skin  jackets, 
dressed  with  the  wool  upon  them  :  which,  like  the  Hottentots,  thev 
wore  inwards.  One  of  these  gentlemen  assured  me,  that  having  satis- 
fied his  curiosity,  no  earthly  consideration  should  tempt  him  to  under- 
take a  second  journey  by  land  to  the  capital ;  for  that  he  believed  the 
whole  world  could  not  furnish  a  like  pictin-e  of  desolation  and  misery. 
What  a  contrast  is  here  exhibited  to  the  ease  and  convenience  with 
which  our  journey  was  made  !  But  the  whole  treatment  of  the  Dutch 
embassy  seems  to  have  been  proportioned  to  the  degree  of  importance 
which  the  Chinese  attached  to  the  political  condition  of  this  niuion. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  349 

Pao-yng-shien  ■were  ju.st  on  a  level  with  the  surface  of  the 
water  in  the  canal,  so  that  if  the  bank  opposite  to  it  ^vere  to 
burst,  the  whole  city  must  inevitably  be  inundated.  Very 
little  cultivation  appeared  in  this  low  marshy  country,  but 
abundance  of  towns  and  villages,  the  inhabitants  of  which  sub- 
sisted by  fishing.  A  prodigious  extent  of  low  country  on 
each  side  of  the  Yellow  ri\er,  perhaps  not  much  less  than  the 
surface  of  all  England,  is  liable  to  inundations.  The  Chinese 
sa}--,  the  overflo^^  ing  of  this  river  has  been  more  fatal  to  the 
country  than  war,  pestilence,  or  famine.  The  emperor 
Kaung-ihee,  in  order  to  distress  a  rebel  in  the  province  of 
Honan,  ordered  a  bank  to  be  broken  down  behind  a  city  he 
had  got  possession  of ;  but  the  inundation  was  so  great,  that 
not  only  the  rebel  forces  were  destroyed,  but  almost  hah''  a 
million  of  people  were  completely  swept  away ;  and  among 
these  ^^•ere  se\'eral  European  missionaries.  Vast  sums  of 
money  are  expended  in  confining  this  river  v.ithin  its  banks. 
T'hc  same  emperor  in  his  last  -will  declares,  that  the  sums  of 
money  issued  annually  from  the  imperial  treasury  fi^r  the  em- 
bankments to  prevent  inundatious,  were  ne^-er  less,  during  his 
whole  reign,  than  3,000,000  ounces  of  sih^er,  equivalent  to 
one  million  sterling. 

On  approaching  the  Yang-tsc-kiang  tlie  appearance  of  the 
countiy  improved,  just  as  it  had  done  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Yellow  River.  The  tovni  of  Sau-poo,  extending  along  the 
quay  of  the  canal,  consisted  of  houses  that  were  gcnerallj-  two 
stories  high,  apparently  well  built,  white-washed  "with  lime, 
and  kept  in  neat  and  clean  order.  The  inhabitants  weve  also 
better  clothed  than  M'c  had  hitherto  been  accustomed  to  see 
them.  Tlie  women  were  less  shy  in  their  adA^ances  ;  their 
complexions  were  much  fairer,  and  their  features  more  soft 
and  handsome,  than  any  vve  had  }'et  obscr\^ed  in  the  northern 
provinces. 

The  walls  and  gates  of  Yang-tclioo-foo  bore  marks  of  great 
antiquity,  being  paitly  in  ruins,  and  almost  entirely  overgrown 
with  moss  and  creeping  plants.  A  thousand  vessels,  at  least, 
of  different  descriptions,  A\-ere  hing  under  its  walls.  Here 
we  remained  for  tlie  nig-ht ;  and  the  folloAving  morning,  l)eing 
the  5th  ol'Novcmbjr,  we  launched  into  the  grand  and  beautiful 
rivei-,  called  thj  Yang-tsc-kiang,  \\-hich  at  this  place  w  as  about 
tv/o  miles  in  v.idth ;  but  the  current  \\ as  so  gentle,  that  no 


350  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA- 

oblation  to  the  presiding  deity  was  thought  to  be  necessary. 
The  numerous  islands  rising  out  of  the  river,  co\-ered  with 
verdure,  the  multitude  of  ships  of  wai",  of  burden  and  of 
pleasure,  some  gliding  down  the  stream,  others  sailing  against 
it ;  some  moA^ng  by  oars,  and  others  l}'ing  at  anchor ;  the 
banks  on  either  side  coA-ered  \vith  towns  and  houses,  as  far 
as  the  e}^e  could  reach ;  presented  a  prospect  more  varied  and 
chearful  than  any  that  had  hitherto  occurred.  Nor  ^^-as  the 
canal,  on  the  opposite  side,  less  liA^ely ;  for  two  whole  days 
we  were  continually  passing  among  fleets  of  Acssels  of  different 
constructions  and  dimensions;  (those  belonging  to  the  revenue 
department  being  the  largest)  each  capable  of  carrying,  at 
least,  two  hundred  tons.  Cities,  towns  and  tillages,  were 
continued  along  the  banks  without  intermission:  and  vast 
numbers  of  stone  bridges  were  thrown  across  the  canal,  some 
ha\'ing  one,  some  two,  and  others  three  arches.  The  face 
of  the  country  was  beautifully  diversified  with  hill  and  dale, 
and  every  pait  of  it  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  The 
chief  produce  was  that  particular  species  of  cotton,  of  a  ycl- 
lo\\'ish  tinge,  known  in  Europe  by  the  name  of  nankin. 

The  suburbs  of  Sou-tchoo-foo  employed  us  full  three  hours 
in  passing  before  we  reached  the  walls  of  tlie  city,  where  a 
multitude  of  vessels  v/ere  lying  at  anchor.  The  numerous 
inhabitants,  that  appeared  upon  and  without  the  avails  of  this 
extensive  city,  were  better  dressed,  and  seemed  to  be  more 
contented  and  cheerful,  than  we  had  yet  observed  them  in 
any  other  place.  For  the  most  part  they  wtre  clothed  in 
silk.  The  ladies  were  here  dressed  in  petticoats,  and  not  in 
trowsers,  as  they  had  hitherto  apj^eared  to  the  nortliAvard. 
The  general  fashion  of  the  head-dress  -was  a  black  satin  cap, 
with  a  triangulai'  peak,  the  point  descending  to  the  root  of  the 
nose,  in  the  middle  of  which,  or  about  the  centre  of  the 
forehead,  was  a  crystal  button.  The  whole  flice  and  neck 
^vere  washed  with  a  preparation  of  white  lead,  and  the  cheeks 
highly  rouged ;  and  two  vermillion  spots,  like  wafers,  were 
particularly  conspicuous,  one  on  the  centre  of  the  under  lip 
and  the  other  on  the  chin.  Their  feet  were  universally  squeezed 
doAvn  to  an  unnatural  size.  Few  females  were  seen  among 
the  immense  crowds  that  the  novelty  of  the  sight  had  brought 
together ;  but  great  numbers  had  assembled  in  the  houses, 
and  particularly  on  board  the  pleasure   or  passage  yachts. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  351 

witli  the  intention  of  satisfying  their  curiosity.  The  superior 
style  of  dress  and  the  appeai^ance  of  the  women  in  piibUc,  at 
this  place,  so  difterent  from  the  general  custom  of  the  coun- 
try, could  only  be  explained  to  us  by  the  writings  of  the 
Christian  missionai-ies,  who  observe  that  the  concubines  of 
mandiirins  and  men  of  property  are  chiefly  procured  from  tlie 
cities  of  Yang-tchoo  and  of  Sou-tchoo,  where  they  are  edu- 
cated in  the  pleasing  arts  of  singing,  music,  and  dancing, 
and  every  other  accomplishment  suitable  to  A\omen  of  supe- 
rior raiik,  in  order  to  render  tliem  the  more  agi-eeable  and 
fascinating.  That  such  women  are  p;cnerally  purchased  by 
persons  engaged  in  the  trade,  in  different  parts  of  the  coini- 
trv,  and  trained  in  these  cities,  Avhere  they  are  disposed  of  to 
the  highest  bidder,  "  this  being  the  principal  branch  of  trade 
"  that  is  canied  on  in  those  two  cities."  How  do  these  holy 
men  reconcile  so  infamous  a  ti'affic  among  a  people  whom  they 
have  adorned  with  every  \irtue  ?  a  people  whom  thev  have 
rendered  remarkable  among  nations  for  their  filial  piety  !  Is 
there  on  eaith  a  crime  more  re\olting against  ci\ilized  nature, 
or  more  detestable  to  civilized  societ}-,  than  that  of  a  parent 
selling  his  own  child,  and  consigning  her,  expressly  and 
voluntai'ily,  into  a  state  of  prostitution  ?  Those  unfortunate 
A\Tetchcs  who,  in  Europe,  ha\'e  by  any  accident  reduced 
themselves  to  that  degraded  and  deplorable  condition  of  be- 
coming subservient  to  the  pleasures  of  a  man,  whom  they 
probably  detest,  are  generally  the  objects  of  pit}',  ho\\-ever 
their  conduct  may  be  disapproA  ed  ;  but  a  parent,  \\  ho  should 
be  the  cause  of  reducing  them  to  such  a  stiite,  aaouM  1)c 
execrated.  But  the  assertion  is  as  absurd  as  ridiculoiiG,  and 
the  WTiter  must  hixve  been  very  credulous  to  suppose  that  the 
principal  trade  of  one  of  the  largest  cities  in  the  world,  \^'hose 
population  cannot  be  less  than  a  million  of  souls,  should  con- 
sist  in  buying  and  selling  ladies  of  pleasure.  Bu3-ing  females, 
in  the  legal  \vay,  is  certainl}-  the  greatest  branch  of  trade 
throughout  China,  as  ever)'  woman  tliere  is  bought  and  sold. 
These  reverend  gentlemen  likewise  inform  us,  with  great  in- 
difference, that  if  a  man  be  desirous  of  having  a  m.ale  cliild,  and 
his  wife  should  happen  to  be  barren,  he  will  purchase  one  of 
these  eoneubines  for  die  sole  purpose  of  getting  an  heir  ;  and, 
A\hen  this  is  accomplished,  he  either  provides  her  with  a  hus- 
band, or  turns  her  adrilt.  Such  arc  the  moral  \  irtues  of  the  Chi- 


352  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

ncse,  compared  with  \^hom  all  other  nations  have  been  ac- 
counted bai'barous.-* 

To  the  west  of  Saii-tchoo-foo  is  a  range  of  mountains 
higher  than  any  wt  had  yet  seen,  well  covered  a\ ith  ^^ ood ; 
and  an  extensive  lake  stretches  along  their  base,  famed  in 
China  for  its  picturesque  beauties,  and  for  its  fish.  We  would 
gladly  have  made  a  party  of  pleasure  to  this  delightful  spot ; 
but  innumerable  objections,  as  usual,  ^^ere  started  by  our 
conductors,  on  the  score  of  delay  that  such  an  excursion 
w^ould  occasion. 

The  two  great  products  of  this  pait  of  the  country  are  rice 
and  silk  ;  the  former  of  "which,  at  this  time,  they  were  busily 
employed  in  reaping.  Plantations  of  the  mulben^'-tree  were 
extended  on  both  sides  of  the  canal,  and  into  the  country,  be- 
yond the  reach  of  sight.  They  appeai'ed  to  be  of  two  distinct 
species ;  the  one,  the  common  mulberry,  morus  nigra,  and  the 
other  ha\ing  much  smaller  leaves,  smooth  and  heart-shaped, 
and  bearing  a  white  beny,  about  the  size  of  the  field  straw- 
beiTv.  The  latter  had  more  the  habit  of  a  shrub,  but  the 
branches  of  neither  were  suffered  to  run  into  strong  wood, 
being  frequentl}'  pruned  in  order  that  the  trunk  might  annually 
throw  out  young  scions,  whose  leaves  were  considered  to  be 
more  tender  tkm  such  as  grew  from  old  branches.  Another 
reason  Mas  also  assigned  for  this  operation.  A  tree,  when  left 
to  itself,  throws  out  the  greatest  part  of  its  leaves  at  once,  in  the 
spring  of  the  3  ear,  but  if  the  thick  wood  be  cut  out  from  time 
to  time,  new  leaves  ^vill  continue  to  push  belo^v'  the  parts  so 
cut  off  during  the  whole  season  ;  and,  accordingly,  the  Chi- 
nese 'are  particularly  attentive  to  prune  afresh  in  the  au- 
tumn,  in  order  to  obtain  a  supply  of  young  leaves  in  the  after 
spring.  The  thermometer  at  this  place,  on  the  9th  of  No- 
vember at  sun-rise,  stood  at  64°,  and  at  noon,  in  the  shade, 
at  70°. 

It  was  in  this  part  of  the  canal  where  the  bridge  of  ninety- 
one  arches,  mentioned  in  the  sixth  chapter,  was  thrown  across 
the  aiTn  of  a  lake  that  joined  the  canal.  I  lament  exceedingly 
that  wc  passed  this  extraordinary  fabric  in  the  night.     It  hap- 

*  It  maybe  obsen-ed  of  almost  all  the  writings  of  the  missionaries  concerninp^ 
China,  that  virtues  of  so  trifling'  a  nature,  as  hardly  to  deserve  the  name,  have 
met  their  unqualified  praise,  whilst  enormous  vices  have  either  been  palliated  or 
passed  over  in  silence. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  353 

pened  to  catch  the  attention  of  a  Swiss  servant  who,  as  tlie 
yacht  glided  along,  began  to  count  the  arches ;  but  finding 
them  increase  in  number,  much  beyond  his  expectation,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  in  dimensions,  he  ran  into  the  cabin,  calUng 
out  with  great  eagerness,  *'  For  God's  sake,  gentlemen,  come 
"  upon  deck ;  for  here  is  a  bridge  such  as  I  ne\er  saw  before ; 
"  it  has  no  end."  Mr.  Maxwell  and  I  hastened  upon  deck, 
and,  by  the  faint  light,  could  sufficiently  distinguish  the  arches 
of  a  bridge  running  parallel  with  the  eastern  bank  of  the  canal, 
across  the  arm  of  a  vast  lake,  \\  ith  which  die  navigation  thus 
communicated.  From  the  highest  point,  or  what  appeared  t© 
us  to  be  the  central  arch,  I  counted  forty-five  to  the  end ;  here 
they  were  very  small ;  but  the  centi-al  arch  I  guessed  to  be 
about  thirty  feet  high  and  forty  m- ide ;  and  the  whole  length  of 
the  bridge  I  calculated  to  be  about  half  a  mile.  The  construc- 
tion of  such  a  bridge,  in  such  a  situation,  could  obviously 
have  been  employed  for  no  other  purpose  than  that  of  opening 
a  free  communication  with  the  lake ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  of 
avoiding  the  labour  and  expense  of  accumulating  materials 
sufficient  for  making  a  solid  embankment. 

After  sailing  a  great  pait  of  the  day  through  a  forest  of  mul- 
berry trees,  planted  with  much  regularity,  we  an'ived  on  the 
lOdi  at  the  city  of  Hang-tchoo-foo,  the  capital  of  the  provirice 
of  Tche-kiang.  Here  that  branch  of  the  gi-and  canal  A\'hich 
communicates  with  die  Yang-tse-kiang  terminates  in  a  large 
commodious  bason,  at  this  time  cro\^'ded  widi  shipping. 
From  this  bason  a  number  of  smaller  canals,  passing  through 
arches  turned  in  the  walls,  and  intersecting  the  city  in  every 
direction,  are  filially  united  in  a  lake  be}-ond  the  western  ^\  all, 
called  the  See-ho.  The  natural  and  artificial  beauties  of  this 
lake  fai'  exceeded  any  thing  we  had  hitherto  had  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  in  China.  The  mountains  surrounding  it  were  lofty, 
and  broken  into  a  variety  of  forms  that  Avere  highly  picturesque ; 
and  the  valle}^s  were  richly  clothed  with  trees  of  different  kinds, 
among  which  three  species  Avere  remarkably  striking,  not  only 
by  their  intrinsic  l^eauty,  but  also  by  the  contrast  they  formed 
w  idi  themsehes  and  the  rest  of  the  trees  of  the  forest.  These 
were  the  Saurus  Camphora  or  camphor  tree,  the  Croton  Sebi- 
ferum  or  tallow  tree,  and  die  Thuia  Orientalis  or  arbor  vitae. 
The  bright  shining  green  foliage  of  the  first,  mingled  widi  the 
purple  leaves  of  the  second,  and  overtopped  by  the  tall  and 
stiUcly  tree  of  Ufe^  of  the  deepest  green,  produced  a  pleasing 

Y  y 


v» 


354  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

effect  to  the  eye;  and  the  landscape  was  rendered  still  more 
interesting  to  the  mind,  by  the  veiy  singular  and  diversified 
appearance  of  .several  repositories  of  the  dead,  upon  the  sloping 
sides  of  the  inferior  hills.  Here,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  the 
sombre  and  upright  cypress  was  destined  to  be  the  melancholy 
companion  of  the  tombs.  Higher  still,  among  the  woods, 
avenues  had  been  opened  to  admit  of  rows  of  small  blue 
houses,  supported  on  white  colonnades,  which,  on  examina- 
ti(Dn,  Avere  also  found  to  be  mansions  of  the  dead.  Naked 
coffins  of  extraordinary  thickness  were  e^^ery  where  lying  upon 
the  surface  of  the  ground. 

The  lake  that  extended  from  the  walls  of  the  city  to  the  feet 
of  the  mountains,  and  thrcAv  its  numerous  arms  into  the  wood- 
ed valleys,  was  the  seat  of  pleasure,  as  well  as  of  profit,  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Hang-tchoo-foo.  These  amusements,  however, 
of  floating  upon  barges  in  the  lake  iire  principally  confined  to 
one  sex :  few  women,  except  those  of  loose  character,  join 
in  the  parties  of  men.  How  miserable,  or,  at  best,  how  little 
interest  can  be  raised  in  that  state  of  society  where  no  social 
intercourse  of  the  sexes  exists !  where  sentiment,  nice  feeling, 
and  the  sport  and  play  of  the  softer  passions,  are  totally  un- 
knoAvii,  and  where  reason  and  philosophy  ai'e  at  so  low  an  ebb ! 
In  more  enlightened  countries,  "\\  hen  age  may  have  M^eakened 
the  ardour  of  joining  in  the  sprightly  female  circle,  or  inclina- 
tion lead  to  more  serious  conversations,  numberless  resources 
are  still  left  to  exercise  the  faculties  of  the  mind,  and  society 
may  always  be  had  for  such  as  can  relish 

"  The  feast  of  reason,  and  the  flow  of  soul." 

But  in  China,  the  tenor  of  their  conversation  must  be-  always 
nearly  the  same ;  turning  chiefly  on  the  affairs  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood, the  injustice  of  the  magistrates,  the  tricks  aiid  stra- 
tagems of  the  crafty  merchant,  or  of  the  low  mechanic.  In 
entertainments  given  b}^  those  ^who  can  afford  to  drink  wine,  it 
is  seldom  served  round  as  in  other  countries ;  but  a  number 
of  puerile  contrivances  are  practised  to  determine  which  of  the 
piu'ty  is  to  drir.k,  as  in  the  case  I  have  already  noticed  of  the 
game  of  the  fmgers.  Thus,  a  nosegay  is  passed  round  from 
i\and  to  hand,  whilst  a  man  in  an  adjoining  room  beats  a  drum 
or  the  gong,  and  he  who  happens  to  hold  the  nosegay  when 
tlic  instrument  ceases  must  drink  a  cup  of  wine.  Many  other 
methods  still  more  childish  are  resorted  to,  in  order  to  pass  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  QSS 

time,  and  to  give  a  zest  to  their,  wine;  but  the  usual  resource 
here,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  against  the  tediousness  of  time,  is 
gaming.  An  attachment  to  this  vice  accompanies  the  lowest 
Chinese  wherever  he  goes.  It  is  said,  that,  in  one  of  our 
Eastern  colonies,  where  Chinese  ai^e  encouraged  to  settle,  diey 
pay  to  tlie  government  the  annual  sum  of  ten  thousand  doilai's 
for  a  license  to  keep  gaming  tables  and  sell  opium. 

Our  route  being  necessarily  delayed  for  two  days  at  this 
place,  on  account  of  an  inten ening  neck  of  land,  o\er  \\ hich 
all  the  baggage  was  to  be  transported,  I  pre\ailed  upon  our 
good-natured  companion  Van-Ui-gin  to  make  a  party  to  the 
lake  See-ho,  to  which  he  readily  assented ;  and  this  was  the 
only  excursion  that  we  had  in  the  course  of  tlie  whole  journey. 
We  had  a  splendid  yacht,  and  another  made  fast  to  it,  to  serve 
as  a  kitchen ;  the  dinner  begiin  the  inst:mt  we  \\  ent  on  board, 
and  ceased  only  when  wc  stepped  a- shore.  It  consisted  of  at 
least  a  hundred  dishes  in  succession,  among  Mhich  were  ex- 
cellent eels,  fresh  caught  in  the  lake,  and  dressed  in  a  \'ariety 
of  ways ;  yet  the  water  was  clear  as  crystal.  Viist  numbers  of 
barges  were  sailing  to  and  fro,  all  gaily  decorated  with  paint 
and  gilding  and  streaming  colours ;  the  parties  within  them 
apparently  all  in  pursuit  of  pleiisurc.  The  margins  of  the  lake 
were  studded  with  light  aerial  builchngs,  among  which  one  of 
more  solidity  and  of  greater  extent  than  the  rest  \\as  said  to 
belong  to  the  emperor.  The  gi'ounds  were  enclosed  with 
brick  ^\•alls,  and  mostly  planted  with  vegetables  and  fi-uit  trees ; 
but  in  some  there  appeai-ed  to  be  collections  of  such  shiubs 
and  flowers  as  are  most  esteemed  in  the  countr}^  Among  die 
fruits  wc  got  at  this  place  was  the  Jambo  or  rose  apple ;  and, 
for  the  first  time,  fresh  from  the  tree,  but  not }  et  perfectly  ripe, 
two  species  of  oranges,  tlic  common  China,  and  the  small  one 
usually  called  the  Mandarin  oi"ange ;  pomegranates,  bananas 
very  indifferent,  and  melons  equally  bad ;  apricots  fiir  from 
being  equal  to  diose  of  our  own  country  ;  a  large  plum,  re- 
sembling the  egg  plum,  also  indifferent,  and  peaches  that 
might  have  been  much  improved  by  judicious  culture ;  apples 
and  pears  that  in  Engkmd  we  should  have  no  hesitation  in  pro- 
nouncing execrably  bad ;  and  a  species  of  fruit,  unknown  to 
all  of  us,  which  the  Chinese  called  Zee-tse,  of  a  sweet  sickly 
taste  M  hen  ripe,  otherwise  most  insufferably  astringent.  Some 
of  the  gentlemen  thought  they  saw  hazel-nuts  among  the  shrub- 
ijery,  but  jt  is  more  tlian  probable  that  they  were  mistiiken.    A 


356  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

few  bad  grapes  ■^^"ere  sometimes  brought  to  us ;  but  the  party 
who  ^\■ent  from  hence  to  Chu-san  met  witli  abundance  of  this 
fruit,  and  of  veiy  good  quality,  gro^\■ing  upon  standards  erect- 
ed in  the  sevei-al  canals,  and  forming  a  shade,  under  which  the 
barges  could  pass. 

Among  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  shrubs,  on  the  borders 
of  the  lake  See-ho,  was  the  Hibiscus  Mutabilis,  the  Hibiscus 
Syriacus,  the  Syringa  Vulgaris  or  common  lilac,  and  the  paper 
mulberry ;  we  observed  also  a  species  of  Mimosa,  a  Crotularia, 
Crataegus,  Rosa,  Rhamnus,  Sambucus,  Juniper,  and  the  cotton 
plant.  Of  flowers  we  particularly  noticed  a  large  purple- 
coloured  double  poppy,  which,  with  the  Nelumbium  that  grew 
here  in  all  the  ponds,  and  a  species  of  Pseonia,  appear  most  fre- 
quently on  the  large  sheets  of  painted  paper  used  for  covering 
the  walls  of  their  apartments.  A  great  variety  of  balsams  were 
also  in fiov.er,  a  species  of  Amaranthus,  a  Xeranthemum, and 
Gnaphalium.  I  mention  only  such  plants  as  caught  the  eye  in 
passing  :  for  our  Chinese  companions,  who  had  a  much  better 
appetite  for  tlie  eels  of  the  lake,  and  other  good  things  they  had 
taken  care  to  provide,  than  for  botany,  had  no  notion  of  being 
detained  by  a  bush  or  a  flower. 

The  next  day  lieutenant-colonel,  now  general,  Benson, 
doctor  Gillan,  and  myself  accompanied  by  a  military  ofllicer 
and  his  orderly,  rode  over  the  neck  of  land,  to  look  at  the 
yachts  that  \vere  preparing  for  our  future  journey.  As  it  was 
rather  late  before  we  returned,  I  proposed  that  we  should  pass 
through  the  city,  as  I  had  done  the  day  before,  ^vith  our  con- 
ductor Van,  which  \\  ould  save  us  half  the  distance.  The  offi- 
cer perceiving  our  intention,  endeavoured  to  draw  us  off"  to 
the  right ;  but  finding  us  persevere,  he  'whispered  tlie  orderly, 
who  immediately  pushed  forward  towards  the  gate.  Aware 
that  the  intention  of  this  measure  w^as  to  shut  the  gate  against 
us,  we  spurred  our  horses  and  followed  him ;  upon  which 
the  officer  and  his  orderly  set  up  such  a  hue  and  cry  that  the 
whole  suburbs  were  presently  in  a  state  of  commotion.  The 
gates  were  instantly  shut  and  surrounded  by  a  crowd.  Within 
all  was  confusion.  Message  after  message  was  dispatched  to 
the  governor,  the  gongs  were  beat,  and  the  guards  were  drawn 
out  in  every  pait  of  the  city.  I  assured  them  there  was  nothing 
to  fear  ;  that  we  \ATre  only  tliree,  and  had  no  other  design  but 
to  pass  to  our  yachts.  During  this  time  our  mandarin  of  war 
in  presence  of  the  whole  populace,  was  down  on  his  knees  ia 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  357 

the  dirt,  first  before  one  and  then  another,  intreating  us  to  give 
up  the  point ;  so  mean  and  despicable  have  the  maxims  of  the 
government  made  these  people.  At  length  our  friends  Van 
and  Chou,  with  the  interpreter  and  a  numerous  train  of  soldiers 
and  attendants,  made  their  appearance,  and  pretended  to  enjoy 
the  joke  of  three  Englishmen  having  caused  so  much  alarm  to 
one  of  their  sti'ongcst  cities,  which  at  that  time  had  a  ganison 
of  three  thousand  men  within  its  w alls.  On  expressing  our 
surprise  at  such  unnecessary  precaution.  Van  observed,  that 
our  conductor  did  not  know  us  so  well  as  he  did,  and,  as  he 
was  responsible  for  our  safe  return,  he  would  rather  have  tra- 
velled us  all  night  through  the  country  than  brought  us  among 
the  crowd  in  the  streets.  When  the  new  viceroy  of  Canton  (Avho 
travelled  with  us  fi-om  hence)  heard  of  this  affair,  and  under- 
stood from  our  conductors  that  the  English  found  great  plea- 
sure in  walking  and  looking  about  them  (a  pleasure  of  which 
a  Chinese  can  Ibrm  no  idea)  he  immediately  gave  orders  that 
the  gendemen  in  the  train  of  tlic  embassador  should  walk 
whenever  they  pleased  without  any  molestation. 

In  the  city  of  Hang-tchoo-foo,  being  particularly  famed  for 
its  silk-trade,  we  were  not  surprised  to  meet  with  extensive 
shops  and  warehouses ;  in  point  of  size,  and  the  stock  contained 
within  them,  they  might  be  said  to  vie  with  the  best  in  Lon- 
don. In  some  of  these  were  not  fe^^•er  than  ten  or  twehe  per- 
sons serving  behind  the  counter  ;  but  in  passing  through  the 
whole  city  not  a  single  woman  was  visible,  either  within  doors 
or  without.  The  crowd  of  people,  composed  of  the  other 
sex  appeared  to  be  little  inferior  to  that  in  the  great  streets  in 
Pekin.  Here,  though  mostly  narrow,  they  had  in  other  res- 
pects much  the  advantage  of  those  in  the  capital,  being  paved 
with  broad  flag- stones,  resembling  the  Merceria  of  Venice,  or 
courts  of  die  strand.  Ci-anburn- Alley  is  rather  too  wide  for 
a  Chinese  sticet,  but  those  of  this  city  were  equally  well  paved. 
They  appeai-ed  to  be  kept  extremely  neat  and  clean.  In 
every  shop  w  ere  exposed  to  view  silks  of  different  manufac- 
tures, dyed  cottons  and  nankins,  a  great  variety  of  English 
broad-cloths,  chiefly  however  blue  and  scarlet,  used  for  winter 
cloaks,  for  chair-covers  and  for  caq^ets  ;  and  also  a  quantity 
of  peltry,  intended  for  the  northern  markets.  The  rest  of  the 
houses,  in  the  public  streets  through  which  we  passed,  con- 
sisted of  butchers,  and  bakers'  shops,  fishmongers,  dealers  in 
rice  and  odier  grain,  ivory-cutters,  dealers  in  laquered  ware, 


358  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA, 

tea-houses,  cooks' shops,  and  coffin-makers;  the  last  of  which 
is  a  trade  of  no  small  note  in  China.  The  population  of  the 
city  alone,  I  should  suppose,  from  its  extent  and  appearance, 
to  be  not  much  inferior  to  tliat  of  Pekin  ;  and  the  number  of 
inhabitants  in  the  suburbs,  with  those  that  constantly  resided 
upon  die  water,  were  perhaps  nearly  equal  to  those  within  tlie 
walls. 

Here  our  conductor  Sun-ta-gin  took  his  leave,  after  having 
introduced  to  the  embassador  the  new  ^dceroy  of  Canton,  who 
\\"as  noAv  to  accompany  the  embassy  to  die  seat  of  his  govern- 
ment. His  manners  appeared  to  be  no  less  amiable  than  those 
of  the  minister.  He  had  travelled  post  from  Pekin,  and,  with 
many  assurances  on  the  part  of  the  emperor  of  die  highest 
satisfaction  he  had  derived  from  the  enibassy,  he  brought  an 
additional  present  from  him  to  his  majesty,  consisting  of  gold 
tissued  silks,  purses  taken  from  his  own  person,  and  the  cai'd 
of  happiness.  This  is  an  ornamented  piece  of  paper  neatly 
folded  up,  and  having  m  the  centre  the  character  foo,  or  hap- 
piness, inscribed  by  the  emperor's  o^\  n  hand,  and  is  considered 
as  the  strongest  mark  a  so'.^ereign  of  China  can  give  to  another 
prince  of  his  friendship  and  affection.  Another  card  was  given 
to  the  embassador,  of  a  similar  import,  as  a  testimony  of  his 
approbation  of  the  conduct  of  tlie  embassy  ;  which  was  further 
confirmed  by  a  present  of  silks,  tea,  fans,  and  other  trinkets,  to 
every  individucil  of  it. 

A  few  miles  beyond  the  city  we  again  took  shipping  on  the 
river  Tcheng-tang-chiang,  VAJiich  might  probably  be  called  an 
estuaiy ,  the  tide  rising  and  falling  six  or  seven  feet  at  the  place 
of  embarkation,  which  was  not  very  distant  from  the  Yellow 
sea.  After  seven  days  of  tedious  navigation  (if  dragging  by 
main  strength,  over  a  pebbly  bottom,  on  \^^hich  the  boats  were 
constantly  aground,  and  agauist  a  rapid  stream,  could  be  so 
called),  we  came  to  its  source,  near  die  city  of  Tchang-shan- 
shien.  But  its  banks  were  not  deficient  in  beautiful  views  and 
picturesque  scenery :  the  general  surface  of  the  country  was 
mountainous  and  romantic;  but  well  cultivated  in  all  such 
places  as  ^vould  admit  the  labours  of  the  husbandman.  One 
city  alone  occurred  in  the  course  of  bcven  days ;  but  we  passed 
numerous  villages,  situated  in  the  vallies  and  the  glens  between 
the  ridges  of  mountains  ;  and  fishermen's  huts  were  constantly 
in  view.  There  was  here  no  want  of  trees,  among  which  the 
most  common  were  the  tallow-tree  and  the  camphor,  cedars. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  359 

firs,  and  the  tall  and  majestic  arbor  vitae.  Groves  of  oranges, 
citrons  and  lemons  were  abundantly  interspersed  in  the  little 
vales  that  sloped  down  to  the  brink  of  the  ri\'er ;  and  few  of 
the  huts  \vere  without  a  small  garden  and  plantiition  of  tobacco. 
The  larger  planes  were  planted  \\  ith  the  sugar-cane.  We  had 
thus  far  passed  through  the  coinitry  without  having  seen  a 
single  piant  of  the  tea-sliiub ;  but  here  Ave  found  it  used  as  a 
common  plant  for  hedge-rows  to  divide  the  gardens  and  fruit 
gi'oves,  but  not  particularly  cultivated  for  its  leaves. 

At  the  city  of  Tchang-san-shien  we  had  again  a  neck  of 
land  to  cross,  in  order  to  join  tlie  barges  that  were  prepared 
on  another  river  falling  towards  the  westward,  by  which  a  con- 
nexion \\  as  formed  with  tlie  usual  route  from  Pekin  to  Canton, 
fi'om  whence  we  had  deviated  at  the  Yang-tse-kiang  river,  on 
account  of  some  of  the  suite  being  intended  to  join  the  Hin- 
dostan  in  the  harbour  of  Tchu-san.  We  were  the  less  sorry 
for  this  dcA-iation,  as  it  gave  us  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a  part 
of  the  country  oxer  which  there  is  no  general  communication 
with  tlie  grand  route.  In  passing  this  neck  of  land,  on  a  very 
fine  causeway,  judiciously  led  through  the  defiles  of  the  moun- 
tains, we  first  observed  the  terrace  system  of  agriculture,  so 
frequently  mentioned  in  the  w  ritings  of  the  missionaries.  The 
Chinese  seem  to  entertain  a  particular  aversion  against  sowing 
or  planting  on  sloping  giound,  and,  accordingly,  when  such 
occurs,  they  level  it  into  a  number  of  terraces,  one  rising  above 
the  other,  which  they  support  by  stone  walls,  if  the  earth 
should  not  be  thought  sufficiently  strong  for  the  purpose. 
The  great  convcniency  of  leading  the  water  from  the  upper- 
most to  the  loA\est  terrace,  without  losing  any  of  its  nutritive 
eftects  by  a  rapid  course,  seems  to  have  suggested  this  mode 
of  preparing  the  ground.  In  a  hot  and  diy  countr}-,  vegeta- 
tion becomes  languid  without  the  command  of  water ;  and  I 
obserA'cd  that,  on  the  uppermost  terrace,  there  was  in\ariably 
a  tank  or  reservoir  to  collect  tlie  waters  falling  from  the  upper 
parts  of  the  hills.  The  expense  of  labour,  that  had  evidently 
been  employed  on  such  terraces,  was  so  great  as  to  make  any 
suitable  return  to  the  husbandman  apparently  impossible ;  and 
still  less  so  in  other  places,  where  the  hills  were  completely 
dug  away  to  the  skeleton  rocks,  and  the  soil  carried  upon  the 
marshy  ground  at  their  feet. 

With  all  this  industry  it  might  be  concluded,  from  the  gene- 
ral appearance  of  the  people,  that  they  merely  gained  a  sub- 


360  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

sistence.  It  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  the  officers  of 
government  could  procure,  in  the  \^'hole  city  which  we  last 
departed  from,  a  sufficient  number  of  chairs  for  themselves 
and  those  gentlemen  of  the  embassy  who  preferred  to  be  thus 
carried,  and  horses  for  the  rest.  For  the  soldiers,  indeed,  tliat 
composed  his  excellency's  guard,  they  liad  prepared  a  sort  of 
open  bamboo  chair,  fixed  between  two  poles,  and  meant  to 
be  carried  shoulder-height.  But  the  soldiers,  squeezed  into 
these  little  chairs,  and  ele\'ated  in  the  air,  with  their  feathers 
and  their  firelocks,  soon  perceived  that  they  cut  such  ridicu- 
lous figures,  and  that  the  poor  wretches  who  canied  them 
were  in  so  miserable  a  condition,  both  ^\■ith  regard  to  their 
clothing  and  their  habit  of  body,  that,  ashamed  to  be  thus 
dragged  along,  they  presently  dismounted,  and  insisted,  in 
their  turn,  upon  carrying  the  Chinese.  Our  conductors  af- 
fected to  consider  this  as  a  good  joke ;  but  others  were  evi- 
dently nettled  at  it,  supposing  it  might  have  been  meant  as  a 
kind  of  oblique  reflection  on  the  indifferent  accommodations 
that  had  been  pro^•ided  at  this  place  for  the  embassador  and 
his  retinue ;  which  were,  however,  the  best  that  it  was  possible 
for  them  to  procure  by  any  exertions. 

Having  finished  this  land  journey,  of  about  twenty-four 
miles,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  ^ve  lodged  at  Eu-shan-shein, 
a  small  city  of  mean  appearance  ;  and  the  following  day  em- 
barked on  flat-bottomed  barges,  remarkably  long  and  narrow, 
on  the  river  Long-shia-tong ;  but  two  complete  days  of  heavy 
rain  obliged  us  to  remain  quietly  at  anchor. 

On  the  24th  of  November  we  dropped  down  the  river, 
which  by  the  rains  M-as  swelled  to  an  enormous  size,  and  in 
some  places  had  overfio^ved  its  banks,  though  in  general  high 
and  rocky,  composed  of  a  deep  brown-coloured  freestone. 
Several  rice-mills  were  so  completely  inundated,  that  their 
thatched  roofs  were  but  just  visible  above  the  surface  of  the 
water ;  others  were  entirely  washed  away  ;  and  the  \M*ecks  of 
them  scattered  upon  the  banks  of  the  river.  A  vessel  of  our 
squadron  was  upset  upon  the  roof  of  one  of  these  mills. 

During  two  days'  sail,  the  surface  of  the  countiy  was  hilly 
and  well  \\ooded  with  camphors,  firs,  and  tallow-trees  ;  but 
as  we  approached  the  Po-yang  lake,  a  small  inland  sea,  it  began 
to  assume  the  uniform  appearance  of  an  extended  marsh, 
without  anv  visible  marks  of  cultivation  :  here  and  there  a  few 
small  huts,  standing  on  the  brink  of  pools  of  water,  uith  twice 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  361 

the  number  of  small  boats  floating  or  di-a\\ii  up  on  shore,  suf- 
ficiently indicated  the  occupation  of  the  inhabitants.  In  this 
part  of  the  country  wc  had  an  opportunit}^  of  seeing-  the  various 
means  practised  by  the  Chinese  to  catch  fish  :  raits  and  other 
floating  vessels  with  the  fishing  cor^•o^ant :  boats  with  nio\c- 
able  planks  turning  on  hinges,  and  painted  so  as  to  decenc 
fishes  on  moon-light  nights,  and  entice  them  to  leap  out  of  the 
water  upon  the  planks ;  nets  set  in  e\'er}'  form  ;  and  wicker 
baskets  made  exactly  in  the  same  maimer  as  those  used  in 
Europe.  Large  gourds  and  blocks  of  wood  were  floating 
on  the  water,  in  order  to  familiarize  the  \'arious  kinds  of  water- 
fowl  to  such  objects,  which  gaAC  the  Chinese  an  opportunity, 
by  sticking  their  heads  into  gourds  or  earthen  pots,  and  keep- 
ing their  bodies  under  water,  to  approach  the  birds  in  a  gen- 
tle manner  sufliciently  near  to  take  them  by  the  legs  and  draw 
them  quietly  under  the  water ;  a  method  \\hich  is  said  to  be 
practised  by  the  nati\"es  of  South-America. 

The  nearer  we  approached  the  great  lake  Po-}-ang,  the  more 
dreary  ^\'as  the  appearance  of  the  country  ;  iuid  for  the  dis- 
tance of  ten  miles  around  it,  or  at  least  on  the  south  and  ^^•est 
sides,  A\'as  a  Avild  waste  of  reeds  and  rank  grasses,  such  as 
the  sciq)us,  cyperus,  and  bulrushes,  interrupted  only  b}-  stag- 
nant pools  of  \vater.     Not  a  human  dwelling  of  any  descrip- 
tion was  to  be  seen.     This  place  may  justly  be  considered  as 
the  sink  of  China,  into  which  rivers  fall  from  every  point  of 
the  compass.     It  is  scarcely  possible  for  the  imagination  to 
form  to  itself  an  idea  of  a  more  desolate  region  than  that 
^vhich  surrounds  the  Po-yang  lake.     The  temperatiu'e  A\as 
so  reduced,  by  the  circumambient  waters,  that  on  die  27th 
November,  with  drizzling  showers,   the  thermometer  was 
down  to  48°  in  the  forenoon.     We  sailed  near  four  whole 
days   over  the  same  kind  of  country,  and  came,   toAvaixls 
the  evening  of  the  last,  to  the  city  of  Nan-tchang-foo,  the 
capital  of  Kiang-see,  A\here  we  obser^'ed  from  four  to  five 
hundred  of  the  revenue  ^'essels  l}"ing  at  anchor.     \Ve  "waited 
at  this  place  a  few  hours,  to  take  in  the  necessary  provi- 
sions, and  to  receive  a  present  of  silk,  tea,  and  some  other 
trifles,  from  the  viceroy.     We  were  told  of  a  flmious  tem- 
ple in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  city ;   (but  we  had  no  cu- 
riosity to  go  out  of  the  way  to  see  it)  which  was  dedicated 
to  the  man  who,  as  w^e  have  already  observed,    made  his 
apotheosis  comfortablr  in  his  own  house ;  that  there  was 

z  z 


362  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

a  well  belonging  to  this  temple,  full  of  large  snakes,  whom 
the  priests  venerate,  and  to  whom  they  admonish  the  people 
to  make  sacrifices,  as  being  children  of  the  dragons,  which, 
if  not  constant!}  appeased  by  oblations  to  these  their  offspring, 
would  destroy  the  whole  world.  Thus,  in  all  countries 
where  votaries  of  superstition  aie  to  be  found,  will  knaves 
be  met  with  to  take  advantage  of  their  weakness.  The 
priests  of  iliis  temple  are  said  to  have  made  one  observation, 
^vhich  is  perhaps  no  superstition,  that,  when  these  water 
Lii^ikes  fippea.'  on  the  surface,  rains  and  inundations  are  sure 
to  foIiO'.v.  I  took  ad^'antage,  however,  of  the  short  delay,  to 
sc  on  boai'd  one  of  the  revenue  vessels,  and  to  measure  the 
ca^.3city  of  its  hold.  It  was  in  length  115  feet,  breadth  15 
iC'^t,  and  depth  6  feet ;  the  sides  straight  and  the  width  nearly 
the  same  fore  and  aft ;  so  that  the  burden  might  fairly  be 
estimated  at  250  tons.  Independent,  therefore,  of  the  innu- 
merable small  craft,  there  were  lying  before  tliis  city,  100,000 
tons  of  shipping. 

The  city  cf  Nan-tchang-foo  is  situated  upon  the  lefl  bank 
of  the  river  JCan-kiang-ho,  falling  from  tlie  southward  into 
the  Po-yang  lake.  Jt  was  here  about  five  hundred  yards  in 
widtli,  ygainst  the  stream  of  \'i  hich  we  made  a  rapid  progress 
with  a  brisk  breeze.  For  the  first  sixty  miles  the  country 
was  licit  and  unciuti\'ated,  except  in  places  where  we  observed 
a  few  fje.ds  of  r.cc.  But  there  was  no  want  of  population. 
Towns  and  vi-iages  ^^ere  constantly  in  sight,  as  were  also 
manufactories  of  earthen  ware,  bricks  and  tiles.  The  farther 
v.'e  advanced  up  che  river,  the  more  populous  was  the  country, 
the  m  jre  varied  and  agreeable  the  surface,  and  the  more  ex- 
tended the  cultivation.  The  banks  were  skirted  with  large 
trees,  that  cast  a  cool  and  comfortable  shade  on  the  walks 
beneath.  Of  these,  some  were  willows,  others  camphors, 
but  b}'^  far  the  greatest  number  were  the  Yang-tchoo,  a  large 
spreading  tree  that  threw  its  branches  down  to  the  ground, 
where,  like  the  Ficus  Indicus,  of  ^vliich  indeed  it  was  a  va- 
riety, they  took  root  and  became  steitis. 

At  th^  city  Kfi-snui-shien,  which  like  most  cities  in  China 
offered  little  worthy  cf  remark,  the  nxev  divided  into  two 
branches;  and  at  Kin-gan-foo,  a  city  of  the  first  order,  which 
Me  passed  the  same  r-ight,  by  the  river  contracting  suddenly, 
the  current  became  stronger  and  of  course  our  progress  slower. 
Tc  track  the  bar.o;es  it  was  necessarj^  again  to  press  a  number 
of  men ;  here,  however,  it  may  be  obseiTcd,  they  under- 


I  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  363 

took  the  service  with  more  willingness  tlian  to  the  nortliA\'ard. 
The  river  meandered  through  a  mountainous  and  barren 
country,  rich  only  in  picturesque  beauty  \vl-iich,  though 
pleasing  to  tlie  eye  of  the  artist  and  connoisseur,  has  less 
charms  for  the  philosopher,  who  finds  more  real  beauties  to 
exist  in  a  soil,  however  tame  and  uniform,  that  can  be  ren- 
dered subservient  to  the  uses  of  man. 

On  the  3d  of  November  we  approached  that  part  of  the 
river,  which,  on  account  of  the  numerous  ship- wrecks  that 
have  happened  there,  is  held  in  no  small  degree  of  dread  by 
the  Chinese.  The}-  call  it  die  Shee-pa-tan,  or  the  eighteen 
cataracts  :  a\  hich  are  toiTcnts  formed  by  ledges  of  rock  run- 
ning across  die  bed  of  the  river.  They  liave  not,  however, 
any  thing  very  terrific  in  them  ;  not  one  being  half  so  dan- 
gerous as  the  fall  at  London  bridge  about  half-tide.  But  die 
Chinese  have  no  great  dexterity  in  the  management  of  dieir 
vessels.  They  are  so  easily  alarmed,  that  they  frequently 
miscarry  through  timiditj^  Avhen  a  little  recollection  and  reso- 
lution would  have  secured  them  success.  The  mountains, 
between  ^vhich  the  river  "\\'as  hemmed  in,  Avere  covered  with 
forests  of  the  larch  fir ;  the  glens  and  valleys  abounded  with 
die  bamboo,  of  which  we  here  observed  two  species,  one  the 
same  that  is  common  in  other  paits  of  the  East,  and  the 
second  much  smaller  in  its  growth,  seldom  exceeding  the 
height  of  ten  feet ;  and  the  fibres  of  its  small  stem  are  more 
hai'd  and  solid  than  diose  of  the  other  species.  The  Chinese 
use  it  in  the  finer  parts  of  such  household  furniture  and  other 
articles  as  are  constioicted  of  bamboo.  From  the  margins  of 
the  river,  to  the  feet  of  the  forests,  the  lower  parts  of  the 
mountains  were  covered  with  coppice  ;  among  which  the  most 
common  shrub  bore  a  close  resemblance  to  the  tea  plant,  and* 
accordingly  the  Chinese  called  it  die  tcha-wha,  or  flower  of 
tea.  It  A\as  the  camellia  sesanqua  of  Thunberg,  to  which 
they  had  given  the  same  name  (not  being  very  nice  in  specific 
distinctions)  as  to  die  camellia  japonica  of  Linnaeus.  From 
the  nut  of  the  former,  not  unlike  to,  though  some\\^hat  smaller 
than  the  chesnut,  a  \ery  pleasant  oil  is  expressed  and  used 
for  similar  purposes  to  the  Florence  oil  in  Europe. 

This  intricate  part  of  the  river,  where  innumerable  pointed 
rocks  occurred,  some  above,  some  even  with,  and  others 
just  below,  the  siu*face  of  the  water,  required  t\volong  day's 
sail  with  a  fair  breeze  ;  and  tlie  falls  became  more  rapid  and 


364  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

dangerous  the  farther  we  advanced.  At  the  fifteenth  cataract 
w^e  perceived  two  or  three  vessels  hing  against  the  rocks, 
M'ith  their  fiat-bottoms  uppermost;  a  terrible  siglit  for  our 
bargemen,  Avho,  hke  the  countryman  in  the  fable,  instead  of 
apph  ing  the  shoulder  to  the  Avhcel,  began  to  implore  the 
assistance  of  the  river  god,  by  sounding  the  gong,  in  order 
to  rouse  his  attention,  and  by  regaling  his  olfactoiy  nerves 
AAith  the  smoke  of  sandal-w'ood  matches  ;  so  that  had  we  been 
dropping  down  the  stream,  instead  of  going  against  it,  there  was 
every  reason  to  apprehend  that  our  barge  Avould  have  shared 
a  similar  fate ;  for  it  received  many  a  gentle  rub  against 
the  rocks. 

The  appearance  of  the  country  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  cataracts  was  extremely  beautiful.  The  transparency  of 
the  stream,  the  bold  rocks  finely  fringed  with  wood,  and  the 
varied  fonus  of  the  mountains,  called  to  mind  those  delight- 
ful streams  that  are  discharged  from  the  lakes  of  the  northern 
counties  of  England.  Like  these  too,  the  Kmi-kiang-ho 
abounded  with  fish,  not  ho'wever  with  the  delicious  trout, 
but  one  of  much  less  flavour,  a  species  of  perch.  Great  num- 
bers of  rafts  were  floating  on  the  river  with  the  fishing  cor- 
vorant,  and  we  observed  that  he  seldom  dived  without  suc- 
cess. For  the  whole  distance  of  three  days'  journey,  the 
hilly  country  bordering  on  the  river  produced  very  little  but 
the  camellia  sesanqua,  which  appeared  to  be  e's^ery  where  of 
spontaneous  growth. 

We  halted  on  the  6th  of  December,  late  in  the  evening, 
before  the  city  of  Kan-tchoo-foo,  Avhich  is  remarkable  for 
nothing  that  I  could  learn,  except  for  the  gi'eat  quantity  of 
varnish-trees,  the  Rhus  vernix  I  suppose,  that  ai"e  cultivated 
•in  the  neighbourhood.  In  the  course  of  the  journey  we  had 
picked  up  two  vaiieties  of  the  tea-plant,  taJien  out  of  the 
ground  and  potted  by  our  own  gardener  ;  and  which,  beiiig 
in  good  grooving  order,  were  intended  to  be  sent  to  Bengal 
as  soon  as  occasion  might  sen-e  after  our  arrival  at  Canton. 
Knowing  we  should  be  hurried  aA\'ay,  as  usual,  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  ^^  ishing  to  procure  a  fe^v  young  plants  of  the  varnish 
tree,  I  prevailed  on  our  good  friend  Van-ta-gin  to  dispatch 
some  person  for  that  purpose,  to  add  to  those  of  the  tea-plant 
and  the  camellia  sesanqua.  Van  made  application  to  the  men 
in  ofiice  at  this  place,  widi  the  best  intention  of  serving  us ; 
but  these  gentry,   either  conceiving  that  their  compliance 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  365 

might  be  treason  to  the  state,  or  else,  in  the  true  sph'it  of  the 
nation,  determined  to  play  a  trick  upon  the  strangers,  ccr-, 
tainly  procured  the  plants,  and  sent  them  on  board  in  pots,  ; 
just  as  we  were  departing  the  next  morning.  In  a  short 
time  they  all  began  to  droop,  the  leases  witliered,  and,  on 
examination,  it  was  found  that  not  a  single  plant  among  thcni 
had  the  least  portion  of  a  root,  being  nothing  more  than  small 
branches  of  trees,  A\'hich,  from  the  nature  of  the  wood,  were 
not  likely,  nor  indeed  ever  intended,  to  strike  root. 

From  Kan-tchoo-foo  the  face  of  the  country  became  more 
uniform  and  suitiible  for  the  labours  of  agriculture  ;  and, 
accordingly,  we  found  a  very  small  portion  of  it  unoccupied. 
Wheat,  about  six  inches  above  ground,  and  extensive  plan-, 
tations  of  the  sugar  cane  fit  for  cutting,  were  the  chief  arti- 
cles under  culti\ation  :  and  the  farther  we  advanced  to  the 
southv\^aid,  the  more  abundant  and  extended  were  tliose  of 
the  latter.  The  canes  were  remarkably  juicy,  and  their  joints 
from  six  to  nine  inches  in  length.  I'o  express  the  juice 
from  them,  and  convert  it  into  a  consistent  mass,  temporary 
mills  were  erected  in  different  places  among  the  plantations. 
The  process  ^^•as  very  simple.  A  piiir  of  cylinders,  some- 
times of  stone,  but  more  generally  of  hard  ^\"ood,  placed 
^'ertically,  ^\•cre  put  in  motion  by  oxen  or  buffaloes,  and  from 
the  foot  of  these  the  expressed  juice  was  conveyed,  by  a 
tube  canied  under  the  floor,  into  a  boiler  that  Mas  sunk  in 
the  ground  at  the  end  of  the  apailment,  ^\  here  it  wsls  boiled  to 
a  proper  degree  of  consistence  ;  the  expressed  canes  ser\ing  as 
fuel.  Though  unacquainted  with  the  process  of  refining  sugar, 
the  natural  tendency  that  the  s}"rup  possesses  of  forming  itself 
into  crystals  in  cooling,  had  suggested  to  them  the  means  of 
obtaining  xtry  fine  and  pure  sugai'-candy,  ^^"hich,  in  the  mar- 
ket of  Canton,  is  sold  in  a  puherized  state,  as  white  as  the 
best  refined  sugar.  The  coarse  syrup,  usuall}-  called  treacle 
or  molasses,  and  the  dregs,  arc  not  employed,  as  in  the 
West- India  islands,  in  the  distillation  of  rum,  but  are  some- 
times throMii  into  the  still  with  fermented  rice,  in  order  to 
procure  a  better  kind  of  Seau-tchoo  or  bunit  Avine ;  the  chief 
use  however,  of  the  molasses  is  to  preser^  e  fruits  and  other 
ACgetable  productions  ;  and  particularly  the  roots  of  ginger, 
a  conserve  of  which  the  Chinese  are  remarkably  fond. 

The  bed  of  the  river  having  in  die  lapse  of  ages,  settled  to 
the  depth  of  t\\enty,  thirty,  or  e\tn  forty  feet  below  the  gc- 


366  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

neral  level  of  the  country,  it  became  necessary  to  employ 
some  artificial  means  of  obtaining  the  A\'ater  for  the  purjjose 
of  irrigation.  The  contri\'ance  made  use  of  to  raise  it  to  the 
height  of  tlie  banks  \\as  simple  and  ingenious ;  and  from 
hence  it  was  convej-ed  in  small  channels  to  eveiy  part  of  the 
cane  plantations.  Of  the  useful  machine  employed  for  tliis 
purpose,  consisting  of  a  bamboo  wheel  which  I  understand 
has  been  adopted  in  America,  a  view  and  section  may  be  seen 
among  the  plates  accompanying  Sir  George  Staunton's  authen- 
tic account  of  the  embass}'.  I  shall,  therefore,  content  my- 
self with  observing  in  this  place  that,  the  axis  excepted,  it  is 
entirely  constructed  of  bamboo,  ^vithout  the  assistance  of  a 
single  nail  or  piece  of  iron  :  that  the  expense  of  making  it  is 
a  mere  trifle ;  that  in  its  operations  it  requires  no  attendance, 
and  that  it  ^^'ill  lift,  to  the  height  of  forty  feet,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  tons  of  water  in  the  course  of  twenty-four  hours.* 
Every  plantation  near  this  part  of  the  river  had  its  wheel,  and 
some  of  them  two ;  and  the  water  raised  by  them  Was  some- 
times conveyed  at  once  into  the  plots  of  canes,  and  some- 
times into  reservoirs,  out  of  a\  hich  it  was  afterwards  pumped, 
as  occasion  might  require,  by  the  chain-pump,  and  caiTied 
to  those  places  where  it  might  be  wanted,  along  small  chan- 
nels coated  with  clay. 

The  women  of  this  province  were  more  robust  than  ordinary, 
and  well  suited,  by  their  strength  and  muscular  powers,  to  en- 
dure the  hard  labour  and  drudgery  of  the  field,  which  seemed 
to  be  their  chief  emplo}^ment.  This  sort  of  labour,  however, 
might  be  the  cause,  rather  than  the  consequence,  of  their  ex- 
traordinar)^  strength  and  masculine  form.  The  habitual  use  of 
hard  labour,  to  which  the  women  are  here  brought  up,  fits 
them  best  to  become  the  wives  of  the  peasantry  in  the  neigh- 
bouring provinces  ;  and  accordingly,  when  a  Chinese  farmer 
is  desirous  of  purchasing  a  working  \vife  he  makes  his  oifers 
in  Kiang-see.  It  was  here  that  we  saw  a  woman  yoked  literally 
by  traces  to  a  plough,  whilst  the  husband  or  master  had  the 
lighter  task  of  holding  it  by  one  hand,  and  drillmg  in  the  seed 

*  The  water-wheels  still  used  in  Syria  differ  only  from  those  of  Chi- 
na, by  having  loose  buckets  suspended  at  the  circumference,  instead  of 
fixed  tubes.  "  The  wheels  of  Hama,"  says  Volney,  "  are  thirty-two 
"  feet  in  diameter.  Troughs  are  fastened  to  the  circumference,  and  so 
"  disposed  as  to  fall  in  the  river,  and,  when  they  reach  the  vortex  of  the 
"  wheel,  discharge  the  water  into  a  reservoir." 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  367 

with  the  other.  The  exertion  of  labour,  together  with  the 
constant  exposure  to  the  weather,  in  a  cUmate  situated  under 
the  twenty-fifth  to  the  twenty-ninth  parallel  of  latitude,  have 
contributed  to  render  more  coarse  and  forbidding  the  features 
of  the  fair  sex  of  Kiang-see  in  the  formation  of  wliich,  indeed, 
nature  had  not  been  too  bountiful.  Like  the  women  of  the 
Malay  nation,  with  whom  they  most  probably  ai'e  derived  from 
one  common  stock,  they  fixed  their  strong  black  hair  close  to 
the  head  by  two  metal  skewers.  Theu'  dress,  in  other  respects, 
was  the  same  as  tliat  of  tlie  men,  and  like  these  thc)-  wore 
straw  sandals  on  their  feet.  Thus  far  by  avoiding  the  pain 
attendant  on  fashionable  feet,  and  enjoying  thc  free  use  of  their 
limbs,  they  might  be  said  to  ha\e  the  adv^antage  of  tlie  city 
ladies.  It  was,  indeed,  observed  that  even  such  as  ^^•ere  not 
employed  in  the  labours  of  the  field,  but  kept  constantly  at 
home  for  domestic  purposes,  were,  in  this  province,  equally 
exempted  from  the  barbarous  fashion  of  cramping  the  feet. 
On  the  9th  we  again  entered  a  narrow  defile,  and  here  with 
difficulty  the  vessels  were  forced  along  against  a  strong  cun-ent 
and  over  the  pebbly  bottom,  against  \\hich  the}'  were  constantly 
striking.  At  Nan-gan-foo,  where  \ve  arrived  in  the  evening, 
the  ri\er  ceases  to  be  navigable.  Indeed,  the  ^\hole  of  the  three 
last  da}-s'  navigation  might,  with  propriety,  in  England  l^e 
called  onl}^  a  ti'out  stream  ;  upon  A\hich  no  nation  on  earth, 
except  the  Chinese,  would  have  conceived  the  idea  of  floating 
any  kind  of  craft.  They  have,  however  adapted,  in  an  admir- 
able manner,  the  form  and  construction  of  their  vessels  to  the 
nature  and  deptli  of  tlie  naA'igation  ;  towards  the  upper  part  of 
the  present  n\ev  they  dre^v  only,  when  moderately  laden, 
about  six  inches  of  water.  They  A\ere  from  fifty  to  seventy 
feet  in  length,  narrow  and  flat-bottomed,  a  little-curved,  so 
that  they  took  the  ground  only  in  the  middle  point.  Yet,  in 
several  places,  the  water  vms  so  shallo^v  that  they  could  not  be 
dragged  over  until  a  channel  had  been  made,  by  rcmo\  ing  the 
stones  and  gravel  Avith  iron  rakes.  The  length  of  this  ri\er, 
from  its  source  at  Nan-gan-foo  to  the  Po-yang  lake,  is  nearly 
three  hundred  English  miles.  The  banks  in  the  low  part  of 
the  province  of  Kiang-see  consisted  of  a  deep  soil  of  black 
earth,  supported  on  clay  of  a  dark  red  or  bromi  colour; 
denoting  the  presence  of  iron.  The  mountains  were  chiefly 
of  red  sandstone ;  and  the  soil  of  the  hills,  producing  the  Ca- 
mellia, was  a  broAvn  loam  mixed  with  particles  of  mica. 


368  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

We  had  now  before  us  another  land-journey,  over  the  steep 
and  \o(ty  mountain  of  Mclin,  A^•hosc  summit  is  the  boundary 
between  the  t^\o  proA'inccs  of  Kiang-see  and  Quan-tung ;  on 
the  south  side  of  ^hich  commences  the  ri\er  Pei-kiang  ho  that 
fiows  b}'  the  port  of  Canton,  and  whose  mouth  is  familiarly 
knomi  in  Europe  by  the  name  of  the  Bocca  Tigris.  The 
ascent  of  this  mountain,  which  some  undertook  on  horseback 
and  others  in  chairs,  \^'as  made  b}'  a  \\ell-paved  road,  carried 
in  a  zig-zag  manner  over  the  very  highest  point,  -where  a  pass 
A\-as  cut  to  a  considerable  depth  through  a  granite  rock ;  a  work 
that  had  evidently  not  been  accomplished  with  any  moderate 
degree  of  labour  or  expense.  In  the  middle  of  the  pass  was 
a  military  post,  much  stronger  than  ordinarj-,  and  it  \\as  de- 
fended, or,  more  correctly  speaking,  it  Mas  supplied  with  two 
old  pieces  of  cannon,  that  had  been  cast,  in  all  probability,  near 
two  hundred  years  ago,  perhaps  by  the  Jesuits  ^vho  first  taught 
them  an  art  which  they  seem  already  to  have  forgotten  or 
neglected. 

The  view  from  the  summit  to^A'ards  the  southward,  over  the 
province  of  Canton,  was  as  rich  and  enchanting  as  that  on  the 
opposite  side  \A'as  dreary  and  baiTCn.  In  descending  the  gra- 
dual slope  of  about  t^ielve  miles,  before  the  mountain  had 
blended  with  the  general  surface  of  the  countr}-,  there  was  a 
constant  succession  of  du  ellings ;  so  that  this  whole  distance 
might  ahnost  be  considered  as  one  continued  street.  Half  of 
tlic  buildings  consisted,  however,  of  places  of  conA^enience,  to 
A\hich  passengers  might  retire  to  obey  the  calls  of  nature ;  and 
the  doors,  or  rather  the  openings  into  such  erections,  were  al- 
wavs  inviting!}'  fronting  the  street.  To  each  single  dwelling, 
\-»hether  alone  or  joined  Avith  others,  was  annexed  a  fabric  of 
this  description.  Each  was  constructed  upon  a  large  teiTace 
cistern,  lined  with  such  materials  that  no  absorption  could  take 
place ;  and  straw  and  other  dry  rubbish  ai-e  throM'n  in  b}'  the 
o\\Tiers,  from  time  to  time,  to  prevent  evaporation.  In  one  of 
the  streets  of  Canton  is  a  row  of  buildings  of  this  kind,  A\-hich, 
in  so  warm  a. climate,  is  a  dreadful  nuisance ;  but  the  consi- 
deration of  preserving  that  kind  of  manure,  which  by  the  Chi- 
nese is  considered  as  superior  for  forcing  vegetation  to  all  others, 
has  got  the  better  of  both  decency  and  prudence. 

All  the  passengers  Ave  met  upon  this  road  were  laden  Avith 
jars  of  oil  expressed  from  the  Camellia.  In  the  course  of 
eighteen  miles,  Avhich  is  about  the  distance  from  tlae  summit 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  369 

of  Me-lin  to  the  city  of  Nan-sheiin  foo,  we  passed  at  least  a 
thousand  persons  on  their  ^vay  to  Nan-gan-foo,  each  bearing 
ten  or  twelve  gallons  of  oil ;  and  among  these  were  a  number 
of  women. 

Havuig  now  traversed  fi^e  of  the  provinces  of  China,  tliat 
are  considered  among  the  most  populous  and  productive  in 
the  empire,  a  general  sketch  may  be  dnuMi,  'by  taking  a  re- 
trospective view,  of  the  state  of  agriculture  and  the  condition 
of  tlie  people  ;  of  their  habitations,  dress,  diet,  and  means  of 
subsistence ;  and  some  conclusion  dravni  as  to  the  population 
of  the  country. 

It  was  a  remark,  too  singular  to  escape  notice,  that,  except 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Po-3-ang  lake,  the  peasantry  of  the 
province  in  which  the  capital  stands  were  more  miserable, 
their  houses  more  mean  and  \\Tetchcd,  and  their  lands  in  a 
worse  state  of  cultivation,  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  route 
— a  remaik  which  also  agrees  with  the  accounts  gi\en  by  the 
Dutch  embassy  of  that  part  of  Pe-tche-lce,  on  the  south-west 
side  of  the  capital,  through  which  they  passed.  Four  mud 
walls,  covered  over  ^^•ith  a  diatch  of  reeds,  or  the  straw  of 
millet,  or  the  stems  of  holcus,  compose  their  habitations ;  and 
they  are  most  commonl}-  sun-ounded  with  clay  \va\h,  or  \\-ith  a 
fence  made  of  the  strong  stems  of  the  bolcus  sorghum.  A 
partition  of  matting  diA'ides  the  hoA^el  into  two  apartments ;  each 
of  \\^hich  has-  a  small  opening  in  the  wall  to  admit  the  air  and 
light ;  but  one  door  generally  series  as  an  entrance,  tlie  closure 
of  which  is  frequently  nothing  more  than  a  strong  mat.  A  blue 
cotton  jacket  and  a  pair  of  tron^sers,  a  straw  hat,  and  shoes  of 
the  same  material,  constitute  the  dress  of  the  majority  of  the 
people.  Matting  of  reeds  or  bamboo,  a  cylindrical  pillow  of 
A\ood  co\"cred  with  leather,  a  kind  of  rug  or  felt  blanket  made 
of  the  haiiy  a\oo1  of  the  broad-tailed  sheep,  not  spun  and 
woven,  but  beat  together,  as  in  the  process  for  making  hats, 
and  sometimes  a  mattress  stuffed  with  wool,  hair,  or  sti^aw, 
constitute  their  bedding.  Two  or  three  jars,  a  fe^v  basons  of 
earthen-ware  of  the  coarsest  kind,  a  hrge  iron  pot,  a  fiying- 
pan,  and  a  portiil^le  stove,  are  the  chief  articles  of  furniture. 
Chairs  and  tai)les  are  not  neccssar}- ;  both  men  and  ^^■omen  sit 
on  tbeii-  heels ;  and  in  this  posture  they  surround  the  gi-eat  iron 
pot,  Avith  each  a  bason  in  his  hands,  -vvhen  they  take  their 
n->eals.  The  poA'Ci^y  of  their  food  was  sufficiently  indicated 
by  tlieir  meagre  ajvpcarunce.    It  consists  chielly  of  boiled  rice, 


oro  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

millet,  or  other  grain,  with  the  addition  of  onions  or  garlic, 
and  mixed  sometimes  with  a  tew  other  ^■ege tables  that,  by  way 
of  relish,  are  fried  in  rancid  oil,  extracted  from  a  variety  of 
l^lants,  such  as  the  Sessamum,  Brassica  Orientalis,  Cytisus 
Cadjan,  a  species  of  Dolichos,  and,  among  others,  from  the 
same  species  of  Ricinus  or  Palma-Christi,  from  which  the 
Castor  is  drawn,  and  used  only  in  Europe  as  a  powerful  jjurg- 
ative.  Its  drastic  qualities  may  probal^ly  be  diminished  by 
applying  less  pressure  in  extracting  the  oil,  or  by  habit,  or  by 
using  it  fresh,  as  it  does  not  appear  that  the  Chinese  sufter  any 
inconvenience  in  its  application  to  culinary  purposes.  As  well 
as  I  could  understand,  the  seeds  were  first  bruised,  and  then 
l3oiled  in  water,  and  the  oil  tliat  floated  on  the  surface  A\-as 
skimmed  oft'.  Our  Florence  oil  they  affected  not  to  admire, 
having,  as  they  said,  no  taste.  The  Chinese,  like  the  inliabit- 
ants  of  the  South  of  Europe,  seem  to  attach  a  higher  value  on 
oils,  in  proportion  as  age  has  given  to  them  a  higher  degree  of 
rancidity. 

Fish  of  any  kind,  in  this  part  of  the  country,  is  a  great  ra- 
rity ;  fe^v  are  caught  in  the  ri^'ers  of  Pe-tche-lee.  We  met 
with  none  in  the  whole  province,  except  at  Tien-sing  and  in 
the  capital,  whose  m.arket,  no  doubt,  like  that  of  London, 
draws  to  its  centre  the  choice  products  of  a  very  extensive  cir- 
cuit. Salt  and  diied  fish,  it  is  true,  ai'e  brought  from  the  south- 
ward, as  tulicles  of  commerce ;  but  the  poor  peasantry  cannot 
aSbrd  to  purchase  them  for  general  use.  They  obtain  them 
only  sometimes  by  bartering  millet  or  vegetables  in  exchange. 
A  morsel  of  pork,  to  relish  their  rice,  is  almost  the  only  kind 
of  meat  that  the  poor  can  afford  to  taste.  They  have  little 
milk,  and  neither  butter,  cheese,  nor  bread ;  aiticles  of  nou- 
rishment to  which,  \vith  potatoes,  the  peasantr}"-  of  Europe 
owe  their  chief  support.  Boiled  rice,  indeed,  and  not  brccid, 
is  considered  as  an  article  of  the  first  necessity,  the  staff  of  life 
in  China.  Hence  the  monosyllable  fan,  which  signifies  boiled 
rice,  enters  into  every  compound  that  implies  eating;  thus 
tcjie-fan,  the  name  of  a  meal  in  general,  is  to  eat  rice ;  break- 
iast  is  called  the  tsao-fan  or  morning  rice,  and  supper  the  ouan- 
£in  or  e\Tning  rice.  Their  principal  and  indeed  their  best  be- 
verage iLs  bacl  tea,  boiled  over  and  o\'er  again,  as  long  as  any 
bitter  remains  in  the  leaves,  taken  without  milk  or  sugar,  or 
;niy  other  ingredient,  except,  in  cold  weather,  a  little  ginger. 
In -tliis  Aveak  state,  the  only  purpose  it  seems  to  answer  is  that 


I 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  sri 

of  caiT}'ing  down  the  sediment  of  mudd}-  water  that  abounds 
in  all  the  flat  provinces  of  China,  \^hich  the  leaves  of  tea  (as  1 
fancy  those  of  any  other  plant  w  ould)  are  fonnd  to  do.  These 
poor  creatures,  however,  are  instructed  l^y  populai'  opinion  to 
ascribe  to  it  many  extiTiordiniuy  qiuilities.* 

It  would  require  a  more  familiar  acquaintance  with  tlic 
people,  and  a  longer  residence  among  tliem,  than  was  alloii  ed 
to  us,  to  explain  the  true  reason  of  such  real  pov'erty  among 
the  peasantry  in  the  vicinity  of  the  capital.  Perhaps,  indeed, 
it  may  lie  owing,  in  a  great  degree,  to  the  proximity  of  the 
court,  v\hich  in  all  counti'ies  has  the  effect  of  drawing  together 
a  crowd  of  people  to  consume  the  products  of  the  soil,  Avithout 
contributing  any  portion  of  labour  to\\"ards  their  production. 
The  encouragement  that  is  here  given  to  idleness  and  dissipa- 
tion is  but  too  apt  to  entice  the  young  peasantry  in  the  neigh- 
boiu-hood  from  their  houses,  and  thus  rob  the  country  of  its 
best  hands.  The  soil,  likewise,  near  the  capital,  is  bcuTen  and 
band}',  producing  few  supplies  beyond  the  wajits  of  the  several 
teniuits ;  and  all  otlier  necessaries  of  life  not  raised  b}-  them 
must  be  purchased  exti'avagantly  dear.  It  is,  indeed,  suqjrising 
jiow  this  immense  city,  said  to  contain  three  millions  of  inha- 
bitants, is  eonti'iv^ed  to  be  supplied  at  any  rate,  considering  tlie 
verj^  sterile  and  unproductiv  e  state  of  the  countiy  for  many 
miles  around  it.  It  might  not,  how  ever,  be  a  matter  of  less 
astonishment  to  a  Chinese,  nor  less  difficult  for  him  to  con- 
ceive, in  what  manner  our  own  capital  receives  its  daily  sup- 
plies, especially  after  he  had  obsened  that  there  is  not  a  single 
road,  b}'  \\  hich  London  can  be  approached,  that  is  not  carried 
over  vast  tracts  of  uncultivated  commons  and  waste  grounds. 
The  valleys  of  Tartaiy  furnish  beeves  and  broad-tailed  sheep 
for  Pekui,  and  grain  is  brought  by  water  from  cv^ery  p:u't  of 

*  The  simple  boilinc;  of  the  water,  indeed,  contributes  greatly  to  the 
quick  deposition  of  earthy  particles,  vvhicli  may  have  been  one  cause  of 
the  universal  practice  of  drinking  every  thing  warm  in  China.  They 
were  surprised  to  see  our  soldiers  and  servants  drinking  the  water  of  the 
Pei-ho,  cold,  and  told  them  it  was  very  bad  for  the  stomach  and  bowels. 
This  complaint,  in  fact,  attacked  almost  all  the  inferior  part  of  the  em- 
bassy, which  Doctor  Gillan  did  not  hesitate  to  ascribe  to  the  great  impu- 
rity of  the  water.  But  the  Chinese  argued  the  point  with  the  doctor  with 
regard  to  taking  it  cold,  asking  him  why  all  the  fluids  of  the  body  were 
warm,  if  nature  had  intended  vis  to  drink  v/ater  and  other  liquids  in  a 
cold  state  I  They  seemed  to  have  forgottpn  that  all  the  warm-blooded 
animal?,  except  man,  must  necessarily  drink  cold  water. 


3r2  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

the  coiintn',  cf  which  the  go\cnimcnt  takes  the  precaution  to 
lay  up  in  store  a  sufficient  c^uantit}-  for  a  tAveh'cmonth's  con- 
sumption, or  animiil  food,  pork  is  mostly  consumed.  Few 
peasants  aie  ^^ ilhout  their  breed  of  hogs ;  these  animals,  in- 
deed, are  like^\ise  kept  in  large  cities,  \vhere  they  become 
public  nuisances.  Bad  beef  in  Pekin  sells  for  about  six-pence 
the  pound ;  mutton  and  pork  eight-pence ;  lean  fo"\vls  and 
ducks  from  t^vo  to  three  shillings ;  eggs  ai'c  generally  about 
one  penny  each ;  small  loa\'es  of  bread  that  are  boiled  in  steam, 
v\ ithout  }east  or  leaven,  iwc  about  four-pence  a  pound ;  rice 
sells  usually  at  three-halfpence  or  t\Adtpence  tlie  jjound ;  wheat 
flour  at  t^\"o-peiice  lialfj^cnny  or  three-pence;  fine  tea  from 
twehe  to  thirty  shillings  a  pound ;  that  of  the  former  price,  at 
least  such  as  was  procured  ckmdestinely  for  us,  not  drinkable, 
and  the  latter  not  near  so  good  as  that  of  about  six  shillings 
in  London.^  There  are,  indeed,  plenty  of  tea-houses  in  and 
near  the  eapilal,  where  the  labouring  people  may  purchase 
their  cup  cf  tea  for  t\\'o  small  copper  coin  (not  quite  a  failhing) 
but  it  is  miserably  bad.  A  tolerable  horse  and  a  man-slave  are 
usually  about  the  same  price,  being  from  fifteen  to  t^\-enty 
ounces  of  siher.  The  article  of  dress  worn  by  the  common 
people  is  not  ^ery  expensive.  The  peasantry  are  invariably 
clad  in  cotton ;  and  this  article  is  the  produce  of  most  of  the 
provinces.  The  complete  dress  of  a  peasant  is  about  fifteen 
shillings ;  of  a  common  tradesman  three  pounds ;  an  officer  of 
government's  common  dress  ten  pounds ;  of  ceremony  about 
thirt}^  pounds ;  and  if  enriched  v.ith  embroidery  and  gold  and 
siher  tissue,  between  two  and  three  hundred  pounds  :  a  pair 
of  black  satin  boots  twenty  shillings ;  and  a  cap  or  bonnet 
about  the  same  sum.  The  price  of  labour,  however,  and  par- 
ticularly in  Pekin,  bears  no~  sort  of  proportion  to  the  price  of 
provisions.  A  mechanic  in  this  city  thinks  himself  well  paid 
if  he  gets  a  shilling  a-day.  A  common  ^\'eaver,  joiner,  or  other 
trade^jman  earns  a  bare  subsistence  for  his  family ;  and  the  best 
ser\'ants  hiay  be  hired  for  an  ounce  of  silver  a-month.  Many 
are  glad  to  gi\'e  their  services  in  exchange  for  their  subsistence, 
without  any  consideration  in  hard  mone}\    Tobacco,  being  an 

*  As  these  teas,  however,  were  purchased  by  Chinese,  I  have  no  doubt 
they  reserved  to  themselves  a  very  large  profit  on  the  commission  ;  for  it 
is  scarcely  possiI)lc  that  this  article,  the  growth  and  produce  of  the  middle 
provinces,  should  bear  a  price  so  far  beyond  what  the  very  best  sells  for 
\n  London. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  Srs 

indispensable  aiticle  for  all  ranks  of  CA-er}'-  age  and  sex,  bears 
of  course  a  high  price  in  the  capital.  It  is  singular  enoup-li  that 
this  plant  should  hiwc  found  its  \\ay  into  e\ery  part  of  the 
world,  among  savage  as  well  as  ci^'ilized  nations,  e^'en  into  the 
deserts  of  AlHca,  \\hcre  it  A\as  found  in  constant  use  among  ' 
the  Booshuanas,  a  people,  till  \'er}-  lately,  totally  unknown ; 
and  it  is  equally  singular  that  an  herb  of  so  disagieeable  a  taste 
should,  by  habit,  oljtain  an  ascendancy  so  far  over  the  appoj- 
tite,  as  not  easih-  to  be  relinquished. 

The  climate  of  the  northern  pro\  inccs  is  unfavourable  to  the 
poor  peasantry.  The  summers  are  so  M-arm,  that  the}'  go 
nearly  naked,  and  the  winters  so  scAcre,  that,  v.hat  A\-ith  their 
poor  and  scanty  fiu'C,  their  ^^"ant  of  fuel,  clothing,  and  even, 
shelter,  thousands  are  said  to  perish  from  cold  and  hunger. 
In  such  a  condition,  the  ties  ol  nature  sometimes  yield  to  self- 
preservation  ;  childrc'ii  are  sold  to  sa\e  l^oth  the  parent  and  off- 
spring from  perishing  for  want ;  and  infants  become  a  prev  to 
hopeless  indigence.  Weha^e  seen,  in  the  notes  taken  by  the 
gentleman  in  the  Dutch  embassy,  ho^\■  lo^v  the  temperature  is 
at  Pekin  in  the  winter  montlis ;  and  the\-  h.a\e  no  coals  nearer 
than  the  mountains  of  TartarA',  ^\■hich  are  all  brousrht  on  the 
backs  of  dromedaiies ;  of  coiu'se,  they  ai'c  extra vagantl}-  dear. 
In  fact,  they  are  scarcely  e\'er  burned  pure,  but  arc  crumbled 
to  dust  and  mixed  up  with  eaith,  in  ^\  hich  state  they  gi^'e  out 
a  veiy  strong  heat,  but  no  flame,  and  are  suitable  enough  for 
their  small  close  stoves. 

Although  it  is  a  principle  of  the  Chinese  government  to  ad- 
mit of  no  distinctions  among  its  subjects,  except  those  that 
learning  and  office  confer :  and  although  the  most  rigid  sump- 
tuary hu\s  ha\e  been  imposed  to  check  that  tendency  to  shew 
and  splendor,  which  wealth  is  apt  to  assume ;  and  to  bring  as 
much  as  possible  on  a  level,  at  least  in  outward  appearance,  all 
conditions  of  men  ;  yet,  a\  ith  rcgcud  to  diet,  there  is  a  ^v ider 
difference,  perhaps,  between  the  rich  and  the  poor  of  China, 
than  in  any  otlier  countr}-.  That  wealth  ^\•hich,  if  permitted, 
would  be  expended  in  flatteiing  the  vanit}-  of  its  possessors,  is 
now  applied  in  the  purchase  of  dainties  to  pamper  the  appetite. 
Their  famous  gin-sing,  a  name  signifying  the  life  of  man  (the 
panax  quinquc  folium  of  Linnaius)  on  accomit  of  its  supposed 
iuA'igorating  and  aphrodisiac  qualities,  ^xas,  for  a  length  of 
time,  weighed  against  gold.  The  sinewy  parts  of  stags  and 
other  animals,  with  the  fnis  of  sharks,  as  productiAc  of  the  same 


274>  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

effects,  are  purchased  by  the  Avealthy  at  enormous  prices :  and 
the  nests  that  are  constructed  by  small  swallows  on  the  coasts 
of  Cochin-china,  Cambodia,  and  other  parts  of  the  East,  are 
dearer  e\en  thim  some  kinds  of  gin-sing.  Most  of  the  plants 
that  grow^  on  the  sea- shore  are  supposed  to  possess  an  invigo- 
rating quality,  and  are,  therefore,  in  constant  use  as  pickles  or 
prcscr\es,  or  simply  dried  and  cut  into  soups  in  the  place  of 
other  vegetables.  The  leaves  of  one  of  tliese,  apparently  a 
species  of  tint  genus  of  sea- weed  called  by  botanists  fucus, 
after  being  gathered,  are  steeped  in  fresh  A\'ater,  and  hung  up 
to  dry.  A  small  quantity  of  diis  weed  boiled  in  w^ter  gives 
to  it  the  consistence  of  a  jelly,  and  when  mixed  M'ith  a  little 
sugar,  the  juice  of  an  orange,  or  other  fruit,  and  set  by  to  cool, 
I  kno^v  of  no  jelly  more  agi'eeable  or  refreshing.  The  leaf  is 
about  six  inches  long,  narrow  and  pointed,  deeply  serrated, 
and  the  margins  ciliated ;  the  middle  part  smooth,  semi-trans- 
parent, and  of  a  leathery  consistence.  The  Chinese  call  it 
chin-chou. 

The  great  officers  of  state  make  use  of  these  and  various 
other  gelatinous  viands  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring,  as  they 
:supposc,  a  proper  degree  of  corpulency,*  which  is  considered 
by  them  as  respectable  and  imposing  upon  the  multitude  ;  of 
a  "great  portion  of  whom  it  may  be  observed,  as  Falstaff  said  of 
his  company,  "  No  eye  hath  seen  such  scare-crows. "  It  would 
be  rare  to  find,  among  the  commonalty  of  China,  one  to  com- 
pare M'ith  a  porter-drinking  citizen  or  a  jolly-looking  farmer  of 
Kngland.  lliey  ai^e,  indeed,  naturally  of  a  slender  habit  of 
bociv  and  a  sickly  appearance,  few  having  the  blush  of  health 
upon  their  cheeks.  The  tables  of  the  great  are  covered  with 
a  vast  \ariety  of  dishes,  consisting  mostly  of  stews  offish,  fowl 

*  An  old  Frenchman  (Cossigny)  but  a  disciple  of  the  new  school,  has  found 
©lit  that  the  Ciiinese  are  in  possession  of  a  new  science,  the  existence  of  which 
Avasnot  even  suspected  by  the  enlightened  nations  of  Europe.  As  he  has  the 
merit  of  muking  this  wonderful  discovery,  it  is  but  fair  to  announce  it  in  his  own 
words  :  "  Je  pense  que  nousdevrions  prendre  chez  cux  (les  Chinois)  les  premiers 
"  elemens  de  la  spermatologie,  science  toute  nouvelle  pour  ^Europe,  science 
"  qui  intcresse  Thumanitu  en  general,  en  lui  procuj-ant  des  jouissances  qm  I'at- 
*'  tachent  a  son  existence,  en  entretenant  la  sante  et  la  vigueur,  en  r^parant 
"  I'abus  des  exces,  en  contribuant  a  I'augmentation  de  la  population.  II  seroit 
"  digne  de  la  solicitude  des  gouvernemens  de  s'occuper  des  recherches  qui 
"  pourroient  donner  des  connoissances  sur  une  science  a  peine  soupconnee  des 
"  peuples  ^claires  de  I'Europe."  He  then  announces  his  knowledge  in  preparing 
"  des  petites  pastilles,  qui  sont  aphrodisiaques,  et  qui  conviennent  sur  tout  aux 
"  veillards,  et  a  ceux  qui  ont  f\ut  des  exc6s  :"  and  he  concludes  with  the  mor- 
tifying intelligence  that  he  is  not  permitted  to  reveal  the  important  secret,  "  qui 
f*  interesse  i'iiumanite  en  general." 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  S7S 

and  meat,  separately  and  jointly,  ^^^th  proper  proportions  of 
vegetables  and  sauces  of  diiferent  kinds.  Their  bevciagc  con- 
sists of  tea  and  whiskey.  In  sipping  this  ardent  spirit,  made 
almost  boiling  hot,  eating  pastry  and  fruits,  and  smoking  the 
pipe,  they  spend  the  greatest  pait  of  the  day,  beginning 
from  the  moment  they  rise,  and  continuing  till  they  go  to 
bed.  In  hot  weather  they  sleep  in  the  middle  of  tlie  day, 
attended  by  two  servants,  one  to  ftm  a^vay  the  flies,  and  the 
other  to  keep  them  cool. 

The  province  of  Pe-tche-lce  embraces  an  extent  of  climate 
from  38°  to  40^°  of  north  latitude.  Tlie  temperature  is  very 
various.  In  summer  Fahrenheit's  thennomcter  is  generally 
above  80°  during  the  day,  sometimes  exceeding  90^  ;  and 
in  the  middle  of  winter,  it  remains  for  many  da}s  together 
below  the  freezing  point,  descending  occasionally  to  zero 
or  0.  But  it  generally  enjoys  a  clear  pure  atmosphere  through- 
out the  whole  year. 

In  the  practical  piut  of  agriculture,  in  this  province,  we 
observed  little  to  attract  attention,  or  to  commend.  The 
farmer  gets  no  more  than  one  crop  off  the  groimd  in  a  season, 
and  this  is  gencmUy  one  of  the  species  of  millets  already 
mentioned,  or  holcus,  or  \\  heat ;  but  they  sometimes  plant  a 
dolichos  or  bean  between  the  rows  of  wheat,  a\  liich  ripens 
after  the  latter  is  cut  down.  They  have  no  winter  crops, 
the  haixl  frosty  Avcather  usually  setting  in  towards  the  end  of 
November  and  continuing  till  the  end  of  Miu-ch.  The  three 
different  modes  of  sewing  grain,  by  drilling,  dibbling,  and 
broadcast,  are  all  in  use,  but  chiefly  the  first,  as  being  the 
most  expeditious,  and  the  crop  most  easy  to  be  kept  free 
from  weeds  ;  the  last  is  rai'cly  practised  on  account  of  the 
great  waste  of  seed;  and  dibbling  is  used  only  in  small 
patches  of  ground  near  the  houses,  when  they  aim  at  neatness. 
The  soil,  being  in  general  loose  and  sandy,  and  free  from 
stones,  is  worked  without  much  difficulty  :  but  it  seemed  to 
require  a  good  deal  of  manure ;  and  this  necessaiy  aiticle, 
from  the  paucity  of  domestic  animals,  is  exti-emely  scarce. 
Very  few  sheep  or  cattle  were  observed  ;  yet  there  was  an 
abundance  of  land  that  did  not  seem  for  many  years  to  have 
felt  tlie  ploughshare. 

The  draught  cattle  most  generally  in  use  are  oxen,  mules, 
and  asses.  Horses  are  scarce,  and  of  a  small  miserable  breed. 


576  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

incapable  of  much  Avork ;  a  remai'k,  indeed,  which  will  apply- 
to  every  pro\'incc  of  the  empire ;  though  those  of  Tiirtary, 
which  composed  the  emperor's  stud,  according  to  the  embas- 
sador's description,  \\ere  not  wanting  in  point  of  size,  beauty, 
or  spirit.  No  piiins  hoAvever,  lU'e  bestowed  to  effect  (nor  do 
they  seem  to  be  sensible  of  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from) 
an  improvement  in  the  breed  of  cattle.  Nor,  indeed,  is  any 
care  ta]i:en  of  the  bad  breed  which  they  already  possess.  It 
vrould  be  supposed  that,  ^vhere  a  regular  establishment  of 
cavalry  is  kept  up,  to  an  amount  that  seems  almost  incredible, 
some  attention  would  be  paid  to  tlie  nature  and  condition  of 
their  horses.  This,  howc\er,  is  not  the  case.  A  Scotch 
poney,  ^^"ild  from  the  mountains,  whiich  has  never  felt  the 
teeth  of  a  currycomb,  and  whose  tail  iuid  mane  are  clotted 
together  V\"ith  diit,  is  in  fit  condition  to  join  a  regiment  of 
Tartar  cavalry.  Those  kept  by  men  in  office  are  equally 
neglected.  The  Chinese  ha\e  no  idea  that  this  noble  animal 
requires  any  attention  beyond  that  of  giving  him  his  food ; 
and  of  this,  in  general,  he  receives  a  ^'^ery  scanty  portion. 

That  part  of  the  province  of  Shan-tung,  through  ^\hich  we 
travelled,  exhibited  a  greater  vai'iety  of  culture  than  Pe-tche- 
lee ;  but  the  surface  of  the  northern  parts  especially  was 
equally  uniform.  The  soil,  consisting  generally  of  mud  and 
slime  brought  appai'cntly  by  the  inundations  of  rivers,  con- 
tained not  a  single  pebble.  The  season  was  too  late  to  form 
any  estimate  of  the  crops  produced  upon  the  immense  plains 
of  Shan-tung ;  but  tlie  young  crops  of  ^^  heat,  standing  at 
this  time  (the  middle  of  October)  a  fe^v  inches  above  the 
ground,  looked  extremely  well.  Little  waste  ground  occurr- 
ed, except  the  footpaths  and  die  channels  ^vhich  served  as 
division  maiks  of  property.  Some  attempts,  indeed,  were 
here  made  at  the  division  of  grounds  by  hedge-ro^\'s,  but 
■with  little  success ;  the  plant  they  had  adopted,  the  Palma 
Christi,  ■^^as  ill-suited  for  such  a  purpose.  As  we  advanced 
to  the  southv/ard,  in  this  province,  the  proportion  of  A\heat 
under  culti\atiGn  dimlnislicd,  and  its  place  \vas  employed  by 
]:)lantations  of  cotton,  v/hose  pods  were  no\v,  ripe  and  bursting. 
The  plant  was  low  and  poor  in  gro^vth,  but  the  branches 
^\ere  laden  v/ith.  pods.  Like  the  wheat,  it  was  planted  or 
dibbled  in  rows.  The  'f otton  ]3roduced  the  second  year  was 
.■said  to  be  considered  as  equally  good  with  that  of  tlie  first, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA*  .  3r7 

but  being  found  to  degenerate  the  third  yeai-,  it  was  then 
rooted  out  and  the  ground  prepared  for  fresh  seed.* 

The  southern  parts  of  Shan-tung  are  composed  of  moun- 
tains and  swamps.  Here,  lakes  of  \arious  magnitudes  occur; 
and  large  tracts  of  country  similar  to  those  \\hich  are  known 
to  us  by  the  name  of  peat-moss.     In  such  places  the  popula- 

*  In  the  tenth  volume  of  a  very  extensive  agricultural  work,  is  de- 
tailed the  Avhole  process  of  cultivating  the  cotton  from  the  seed  to  the 
weh.  The  author  ohserves,  "  The  cotton  in  its  raw  state  afibrds  a  Hght 
"  and  pleasant  lining  for  cloaths  ;  the  seed  yields  an  oil,  which,  being 
"  expressed  from  them,  the  remainder  is  serviceable  as  manure  ;  the 
"  capsules  or  pods,  being  hard  and  woody,  are  used  for  firing,  and  the 
"  leaves  afford  nourishment  to  cattle,  so  that  every  part  of  the  vegetable 
"  may  be  appropriated  to  some  useful  purpose. 

"  The  soil  most  favoiu'able  to  this  plant  is  a  white  sand,  with  a  small 
"  proportion  of  clay  or  loam.  The  plant  affects  an  elevated  open  situa- 
"  tion,  and  cannot  endure  low  marshy  grounds. 

"  After  all  the  cotton  pods  are  gathered,  the  remaining  stems  and 
"  branches  should  be  cleared  away  without  loss  of  time,  and  the  ground 
"  carefully  ploughed  up,  to  expose  a  new  surface  to  the  air,  and  renew 
*'  the  vigour  of  the  soil. 

"  When  the  plough  has  passed  through  the  ground  three  times,  the 
"  earth  should  be  raked  level,  that  the  wind  may  not  raise  or  dry  up  any 
"  part  of  it. 

"  ———When  there  is  an  abundance  of  manure,  it  may  be  laid  on 
"  previous  to  the  use  of  the  plough,  but  if  it  be  scarce,  &c.  it  will  be 
"  preferable  to  apply  it  to  the  soil  at  the  time  of  sowing  the  seed. 

"  The  manure  should  be  old  and  well  prepared,  and,  among  the  best 
"  ingredients  for  the  purpose,  is  the  refuse  of  vegetable  substances,  from 
"  which  an  oil  has  been  expressed. 

"  In  the  southern  provinces  the  cotton  plant  will  last  for  two  or  three 
"  years,  but  to  the  northward  the  seed  must  be  sown  annually." 

The  author  then  enumerates  nine  distinct  varieties  and  their  compa- 
rative qualities ;  after  which  he  proceeds  to  the  choice  of  seed,  under 
which  head  he  observes,  that  if  the  seed  be  steeped  in  water,  in  which 
eels  have  been  boiled,  the  ptant  will  resist  the  attack  of  insects.  He 
then  describes  the  three  methods  of  broad-cast,  drilling,  and  dibbling, 
and  gives  a  decided  preference  of  the  last,  though  it  be  the  most  labo- 
tious. 

"  The  ground  being  well  prepared,  holes  are  to  be  made  at  the  dis- 
"  tance  of  a  cubit  fixam  each  other,  and  the  lines  a  cubit  apart.  A  little 
"  wat'fer  is  first  to  be  poured  in,  and  then  four  or  five  seeds,  after  which 
"  each  hole  is  to  be  covered  with  a  mixture  of  soil  and  manure,  and 
"  firmly  trodden  down  with  the  foot.  In  the  other  methods  a  roller  is 
**  to  be  used." 

The  next  process  is  weeding,  loosening,  and  breaking  fine  the  earth. 
— He  tlien  observes,  "  After  the  plants  have  attained  some  degree  of 
"  streng^th  and  size,  the  most  advanced  and  perfect  plant  should  be  se- 

3  B 


878  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

tion  could  not  be  expected  to  be  excessive  ;  and,  accordingly, 
we  met  with  few  inhabitants,  except  those  who  subsisted  their 
famiUes  by  fishing.  So  great  were  the  numbers  engaged  in 
this  employment,  who  lived  entirely  in  floating  vessels,  that 
we  judged  the  waters  to  be  fully  as  populous  as  the  land.  No 
rent  is  exacted  by  the  government,  nor  toll,  nor  tythe,  nor 
licence-moiiey  for  permission  to  catch  fish  ;  nor  is  there  any 
sort  of  impediment  against  the  free  use  of  any  lake,  river,  or 
canal,  whatsoever.  The  gifts  that  nature  has  bestowed  are 
cautiously  usurped  by  any  power,  even  in  this  despotic  go- 
vernment, for  individual  use  or  profit;  but  are  suffered  to 
remain  the  free  propeit}^  of  all  who  may  choose  by  their  labour 
to  derive  advantage  from  them.  But  even  this  free  and  unre- 
strained use  is  barely  sufficient  to  procure  for  them  the  neces- 
saries, much  less  any  of  the  comforts,  of  life.  The  condition 
of  the  peasantiy,  in  the  northern  parts  of  this  province.  \va9 
much  more  desirable.  Their  cloathing  was  decent ;  their 
countenances  cheerful,  indicating  plenty  ;  and  their  dwellings 
were  built  of  bricks  or  wood,  appealing  m.ore  solid  and 
comfortable  than  those  of  the  province  in  which  the  capital 
is  situated.  But  the  poor  fishermen  carried  about  with  them 
unequi\"Ocal  mai'ks  of  their  poverty.  Their  pale  meagi'c 
looks  are  ascribed  to  the  fi-equent,  and  almost  exclusive, 
use  of  fish  :  which  is  supposed  to  give  them  a  scrophulous 
habit  of  body.  Their  endeavours,  however,  are  not  wantmg 
to  correct  any  acid  or  unwholesome  humours  that  this  sort 
of  diet  may  produce,  by  the  abundant  use  of  onions  and  gar- 
lic, which  they  culti^^ate  even  upon  the  waters.  Having  no 
houses  on  shore,  nor  stationary  abode,  but  moving  about  in 
their  vessels  upon  the  extensive  lakes  and  rivers,  they  have 
no  inducement  to  cultivate  patches  of  ground,  ^'^hich  the 
pursuits  of  their  profession  might  require  them  to  leave  for 
the  profit  of  another ;  they  prefer,  therefore,  to  plant  their 
onions  on  rafts  of  bamboo,  well  interwoven  with  reeds  anJ 


"  lected,  and  all  the  rest  rooted  out ;  for  if  two  or  more  be  suffered  to 
"  rise  together,  they  will  increase  in  height,  without  giving  lateral 
"  shoots  ;  the  leaves  will  be  large  and  luxuriant,  but  the  pods  will  be 
"  few."  He  next  proceeds  to  the  pruning  of  the  plants  to  make  them 
bear  copiously — gathering  the  pods — preparing  and  spinning  the  wool — 
weaving  the  cloth. — This  abridged  account  I  have  given  to  shew,  that 
they  are  not  deficient  in  writings  of  this  kiad. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  379 

strong  grass,  and  covered   with  eaith ;    and  these  floating 
gardens  are  towed  after  their  boats. 

The  women  assist  in  dragging  the  net  and  other  operations 
of  taking  fish  ;  but  the  younger  pait  of  tlie  family  are  some- 
times employed  in  breeding  ducks.  These  stupid  birds  here 
acquire  an  astonishing  degree  of  dociUty.  In  a  single  vessel 
are  sometimes  many  hundreds  ^^•hich,  like  the  cattle  of  the 
Kaffars  in  southern  Africa,  on  the  signal  of  a  whistle  leap 
into  the  water,  or  upon  the  banks  to  feed  ;  and  another  whis- 
tle brings  them  back.  Like  the  ancient  Egyptians,  they  use 
artificial  means  of  hatching  eggs,  by  bur}  ing  them  in  sand 
at  the  bottom  of  wooden  boxes,  and  placing  them  on  plates  of 
iron  kept  moderately  wai-m  by  small  furnaces  underneath. 
Thus  the  old  birds  which,  pro\ided  they  hatched  their  eggs 
themselves,  \\ould  only  produce  one  brood,  or  at  most  two, 
in  the  course  of  the  year,  continue  to  lay  eggs  almost  every 
month.  Hogs  are  also  kept  in  many  of  the  fishing  craft.  In 
fact,  ducks  and  hogs  affording  the  most  savory  meat,  most 
abounding  in  fat,  and,  it  may  be  added,  best  able  to  subsist 
themselves,  are  esteemed  above  all  other  animals.  The 
ducks  being  split  open,  salted,  and  dried  in  the  sun,  are  ex- 
changed for  rice  or  otlier  grain.  In  this  state  we  found 
them  an  excellent  relish ;  and,  at  our  request,  they  were 
plentifully  supplied  during  the  whole  progress  through  die 
country. 

The  pro^■ince  of  Shan-tung  extends  in  latitude  from  thirty 
four  and  a  half  to  thirty -eight  degrees.  The  mean  tempera- 
ture, from  the  19th  of  October  to  the  29th  of  the  same  month, 
was  about  fifty-two  degrees  at  sun-rise,  to  seventy  degrees  at 
noon.     A  constant  clear  and  cloudless  sky. 

The  numerous  canals  and  rivers  that  in  every  direction  iiv 
tcrsect  the  province  of  Kiang-nan,  and  by  which  it  is  capable 
of  being  flooded  to  any  extent  in  the  driest  seasons,  render 
it  one  of  the  most  valuable  and  fertile  distiicts  in  the  whole 
empire.  Every  part  of  it,  also,  having  a  free  communication 
Avith  the  Yellow  Sea  by  the  two  great  rivers,  the  \\^hang-ho 
and  the  Yang-tsc-kiang,  it  has  always  been  considered  as  the 
central  point  for  the  home  trade ;  and,  at  one  time,  its  chief 
city  Nankin  m  as  the  capital  of  the  em]Dire.  That  beautiful 
and  durable  cotton  of  the  same  name  is  here  produced  and 
sent  to  Canton ;  fi-om  whence  it  is  shipped  off"  to  the  different 
parts  of  tlie  world.     The  Chinese  rarely  weai*  it  in  its  natuiid 


380  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

colour,   except  as  an  ai'ticle  of  mourning ;    but  export  it 
chiefl}^  taking  in  return  ^ast  quantities  of  unmanufactured 
\^  hite  cotton  from  Bengal  and  Bombay,  finding  they  can  pur- 
chase this  foreign  wool  at  a  much  cheaper  rate  than  that  at 
which  the  nankin  sells.     For  mourning-dresses  and  a  lew 
other  purposes  white  cotton  is  made  use  of,  but  in  general 
it  is  dyed  black  or  blue  :  among  some  of  our  presents  were 
also  pieces  of  a  beautiful  scarlet.     Near  most  of  the  planta- 
tions of  cotton  VvC  observed  patches  of  indigo  ;  a  plant  which 
grows  freely  in  all  the  middle  and  southern  provinces.     The 
dye  of  this  shrub,  being  no  article  of  commerce  in  China,  is 
seldom,  if  ever,  prepared  in  a  diy  state,  but  is  generally  em- 
ployed to  communicate  its  colouring  matter  from  the  leaves, 
to  avoid  the  labour  and  the  loss  that  would  be  required  to 
reduce  it  to  a  solid  substance.     We  obser\^ed  that,  in  the 
cotton  countries,  almost  every  cottage  had  its  garden  of  in- 
digo.    As  in  ancient  times,  in  our  OM'n  country,  when  every 
cottager  brewed  his  ©"".vn  beer,  kept  his  o'wn  cow  for  milk 
and  butter,  bred  his  own  sheep,  the  ^^•ool  of  which  being 
spun  into  yarn  by  his  own  family  was  manufactured  into  cloth 
by  the  pai'ish  weaver,  and  when  every  peasant  raised  the  ma- 
terials for  his  own  weh  of  hempen  cloth,  so  it  still  appears 
to  be  the  case  in  China.     Here  there  are  no  great  farmers 
nor  monopolists  of  grain,  nor  can  any  indi\'idual,  nor  body 
of  men,  by  any  possibility,  either  glut  the  market,  or  \vith- 
hold  the  produce  of^  the  ground,  as  may  best  suit  their  pur- 
pose.    Each  peasant  is  supposed,  by  his  industry,  to  have 
the  means  of  subsistence   Avithin  himself;    though   it  often 
happens  that  these  means,  from  adverse  circumstances,  which 
hereafter  Vv^ill  be  noticed,  fail  of  producing  the  desired  efiect. 
In  the  province  of  Kiang-nan  each  raises  his  own  cotton ;  his 
wife  and  children  spin  it  into  thread  and  it  is  I'^'OA'en  into  a  web 
in  his  own  house,  sometimes  by  his  own  family,  but  more  fre- 
quently by  others  hired  for  the  purpose.    A  few  bamboos  con- 
stitute the  whole  machinery  required  for  this  operation.  Money 
he  has  none ;  but  his  produce  he  can  easily  barter  for  any  little 
article  of  necessity  or  luxury.  The  superfluities  of  life,  which 
those  in  office  may  have  occasion  to  purchase,  ai'c  paid  for  in  bars 
of  silver  without  any  impression,  but  bearing  value  for  weight, 
like  the  Roman  a  s ,  or  the  Hebrew  shekel.     The  only  coin  in 
circulation  is  the  Tchen,  a  piece  of  some  inferior  metal  mixed 
with  a  small  proportion  of  copper,  of  the  value  of  the  thou» 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  381 

sandth  part  of  an  ounce  of  silver ;  with  this  small  piece  of  money 
the  little  and  constantly  demanded  necessaiies  of  life  are  pur- 
chased, such  as  could  not  conveniently  be  obtained  b}^  way  of 
bai'ter.  Silver  is  nu'cly  lent  out  at  interest,  except  bet\veen 
mercantile  men  in  large  cities.  The  legal  interest  is  t^-clve  per 
cent  ;  but  it  is  commonly  extended  to  eighteen,  sometimes 
even  to  thirty-six.  To  avoid  the  punishment  of  usun*,  ^^•hat 
is  given  above  tA^'elve  per  cent  is  in  the  shape  of  a  bonus. 
"  Usury,  in' China,"  observes  lord  Macartney,  "  like  gaming 
*'  elsewhere,  is  a  dishonourable  mode  of  getting  monev  ;  but 
"  by  a  sort  of  compact  between  necessity  and  avarice,  between 
"  affluence  and  distress,  the  prosecution  of  a  Jew  or  a  shaiper 
"  is  considered  by  us  as  not  A'cry  honourable  e\"cn  in  the 
*'  sufferers." 

The  girater  tlie  distance  from  the  capital,  the  better  was  the 
appai'ent  condition  of  the  people.  'The  viceroy,  when  he 
received  his  excellency  on  the  entry  of  the  embassy  into  this 
province,  happened  to  cast  his  e}-e  upon  the  half- starved  and 
half-naked  trackers  of  the  boats  ;  and  being  either  ashamed  of 
their  miserable  appearance,  or  feeling  compassion  for  tlicir  situ- 
ation, he  ordered  every  man  immediately  a  suit  of  new  cloaths. 
In  the  morning,  when  our  force  was  mustered,  wc  Mere  not 
a  little  surprised  to  see  the  great  alteration  tliat  had  taken  place 
in  the  appearance  of  oirr  tiackers  :  every  man  had  a  blue  cotton 
jacket  edged  with  red,  a  pair  of  new  white  trowsers,  and  a 
smart  hat  with  a  high  crown  and  feather.  The  natural  fertility 
of  the  country,  its  central  situation  commanding  a  brisk  trade, 
the  abundance  of  its  fisheries  on  the  ku'ge  rivers  and  lakes, 
were  incentives  to  industry,  for  the  vast  population  that 
seemed  to  be  equally  distributed  over  every  part  of  the  pro- 
vince. 

Rice  being  the  staple  of  Ciiina  was  abundantly  cultiAatcd, 
in  all  such  places  as  afforded  the  greatest  command  of  water. 
The  usual  average  produce  of  coni-lands  is  reckoned  to  be 
from  ten  to  fifteen  for  one  ;  and  of  rice,  from  twenty-fne  to 
thirtv  ;  commonlv  about  thirtv.  Those  corn-lands  that  A^ill 
admit  of  easy  irrigation  are  usually  turned  over  witli  the  plough 
immediately  after  the  gi-ain  is  cut  :  which,  in  the  middle  pro- 
vinces, is  ready  for  the  sickle  early  in  June,  about  the  same 
time  that  the  young  rice  fields  stand  at  the  height  of  eight  or 
ten  inches  :  these  being  now  thinned,  the  young  plants  are 
transpliintcd  into  the  prepared  wheat  Umds,  A\hich  are  then 


582  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

immediately  flooded.  Upon  such  a  crop  they  reckon  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  for  one.  Instead  of  rice,  one  of  the  millets 
IS  sometimes  sown  as  an  after-crop,  this  requiring  very  little 
water  ;  or  the  Cad-jan,  a  species  of  Dolichos  or  small  bean, 
for  oil,  requiring  still  less.  Or,  it  is  a  common  practice,  after 
taking  off  a  crop  of  cotton  and  indigo,  in  the  month  of  Octo- 
ber, to  sow  wheat,  in  order  to  ha^•e  the  land  again  clear  in  the 
month  of  May  or  June.  Such  a  succession  of  crops,  without 
ever  suffering  the  land  to  lie  fallow,  should  seem  to  require  a 
large  quantity  of  manure.  In  fact,  they  spare  no  pains  in 
procuring  composts  and  manures  ;  but  they  also  accomplish 
much  without  these  materials,  by  working  the  soil  almost 
incessantly,  and  mixing  it  a\  ith  extraneous  matters,  as,  for  in- 
stance, marl  with  light  aiid  sandy  soils,  or  if  this  is  not  to  be 
had,  stiff  clay  ;  and  on  clayey  grounds  they  cany  sand  and 
gravel.  They  also  di-ag  the  rivers  and  ctuials  and  pools  of  water 
for  slime  and  mud  ;  and  they  preserve,  with  great  care,  all 
kinds  of  urine,  in  which  it  is  an  universal  practice  to  steep  the 
seeds  previous  to  their  being  sown.  If  turnip- seeds  be  steeped 
in  lime  and  urine,  the  plant  is  said  not  to  be  attacked  by  the 
insect.  Near  all  the  houses  are  large  eaithen  jars  sunk  in  the 
ground,  for  collecting  and  presendng  these  and  other  materials 
that  are  convertible,  by  putrefactive  fermentation,  into  manure. 
Old  men  and  children  may  be  seen  near  all  the  villages  with 
small  rakes  and  baskets,  collecting  every  kind  of  dirt,  or  offals, 
that  come  in  their  way.  Their  eagerness  to  pick  up  ^\'hatever 
may  be  used  as  m.anureled  to  some  ridiculous  scenes.  When- 
ever our  barges  halted,  and  the  soldiers  and  serv^ants  found  it 
necessary  to  step  on  shore,  they  were  always  pursued  to  their 
place  of  retirement  by  these  collectors  of  food  for  vegetables. 
It  may  literally  be  said  in  this  countiy ,  that  nothing  is  suffered 
to  be  lost.  The  profession  of  sha^•ing  is  followed  by  vast 
numbers  in  China.  As  the  whole  head  is  shaved,  except  a 
small  lock  behind,  few,  if  any,  are  able  to  operate  upon  them- 
selves. And  as  hair  is  considered  an  excellent  manure,  every 
barbai"  carries  with  him  a  small  bag  to  collect  the  spoils  of  his 
razor. 

The  common  plough  of  the  countr}-  is  a  simple  machine, 
and  much  inferior  to  the  very  worst  of  ours.  We  saw  one 
drill-plough,  in  Shan-tung,  different  from  all  the  rest.  It  con- 
sisted of  two  parallel  poles  of  Avood,  shod  at  the  lower  ex- 
tremities with  iron,  to  open  the  funows  :  these  poles  were 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  383 

placed  on  wheels ;  having  a  small  hopper  attached  to  each  pole, 
to  drop  the  seed  into  tlie  furrows,  which  were  covered  with 
earth  by  a  transverse  piece  of  wood  fixed  beliind,  that  just 
swept  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

The  machine  usually  employed  for  clearing  rice  from  the 
husk,  in  the  large  way,  is  exactly  the  same  as  that  now  used 
in  Egypt  for  the  same  purpose,  only  that  die  latter  is  put  in 
motion  by  oxen,  and  tlie  former  commonly  by  \\ater.  This 
machine  consists  of  a  long  horizontal  axis  of  wood,  with 
cogs  or  projecting  pieces  of  wood  or  iron  fixed  upon  it,  at 
certain  intervals,  and  it  is  turned  by  a  water-wheel.  At  right 
angles  to  this  axis  are  fixed  as  many  horizontal  levers  as  there 
are  circular  rows  of  cogs  ;  these  levers  act  on  pivots,  that  are 
fiistened  into  a  low  brick  wall  built  parallel  to  the  axis,  and  at 
the  distance  of  about  two  feet  from  it.  At  the  furtlier  ex- 
tremity of  each  lever,  and  perpendicular  to  it,  is  fixed  a 
hollow  pestle,  directly  over  a  large  mortal*  of  stone  or  iron 
snnk  into  the  ground ;  the  other  extremity  extending  beyond 
the  wall,  being  pressed  upon  by  tlie  cogs  of  the  axis  in  its 
revolution,  elevates  the  pestle,  \\'hich  by  its  own  gravity  falls 
into  the  mortar.  An  axis  of  this  kind  sometimes  gives  mo- 
tion to  fifteen  or  twenty  levers.  This  machine,  as  well  as 
the  plough,  still  in  use  in  modern  Egypt,  which  is  also  the 
same  as  the  Chinese  plough,  have  been  considered  by  a  mem- 
ber of  the  French  Institute  to  be  the  same  instruments  as 
those  employed  in  that  country  tA\o  thousand  years  ago ;  and, 
judging  from  the  maxims  of  the  Chinese  government,  and 
the  character  of  the  people,  an  antiquity  equally  great  ma}-- 
be  assigned  to  them  in  the  latter  countr}\  The  bamboo  wheel 
for  raising  water,  or  something  approaching  very  near  to  it, 
either  M'ith  buckets  appended  to  the  circumference,  or  with 
fellies  hollowed  out  so  as  to  scoop  up  water,  was  also  in  use 
among  the  aiicient  Egyptians  ;  and,  as  I  have  before  observed, 
continue  to  be  so  among  the  Syrians  ;  from  these  they  are 
supposed  to  have  passed  into  Persia,  where  they  are  also 
still  employed,  and  from  whence  they  have  derived,  in  Eu- 
rope, the  name  of  Persian  wheels.  The  chain  pump  of 
China,  common  in  the  hands  of  eveiy  fanner,  was  likewise 
an  instrument  of  husbandry  in  Egypt. 

A  very  erroneous  opinion  seems  to  have  been  entertained 
in  Europe,  with  regard  to  the  skill  of  the  Chinese  in  agricul- 
ture.    Industrious  they  certainly  are,  in  an  eminent  degree  ; 


S84r  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

but  their  labour  does  not  always  appear  to  be  bestowed  with 
judgment.  The  instruments  the}^  make  use  of  are  incapable 
of  performing  the  operations  of  husbandry  to  the  greatest- ad- 
vantage :  in  the  deepest  and  best  soils,  their  plough  seldom 
cuts  to  the  depth  of  four  inches ;  so  that  they  sow  from  year 
to  year  upon  the  same  soil,  without  being  able  to  turn 
up  new  earth,  and  to  bury  the  worn-out  mould  to  refresh 
itself.  Supposing  them,  however,  to  be  supplied  with  ploughs 
of  the  best  construction,  we  can  scarcely  conceive  that  their 
mules  and  asses,  and  old  women,  w^ould  be  equal  to  the  task 
of  drawing  them. 

The  advantage  that  large  farms  in  England  possess  over 
small  ones  consists  principally  in  the  means  they  aftbrd  the 
tenant  of  keeping  better  teams  than  can  possibly  be  done  on  the 
latter,  and  consequently  of  making  a  better  tilth  for  the  recep- 
tion of  seed.  The  opulent  farmer,  on,  the  same  quantity  of 
ground,  ^vill  invariably  raise  more  produce  than  the  cottager 
can  pretend  to  do.  In  China,  nine-tenths  of  the  peasantry 
may  be  considered  as  cottagers,  and  having  few  cattle  (mil- 
lions, I  might  add,  none  at  all),  it  can  scarcely  be  expected 
that  the  whole  country  should  be  in  the  best  possible  state  of 
cultivation.  As  horticulturists,  they  may,  perhaps,  be  allowed 
a  considerable  share  of  merit ;  but,  on  the  great  scale  of 
agriculture,  they  are  certainly  not  to  be  mentioned  with  many 
European  nations.  They  have  no  kno^\ledge  of  the  modes 
of  improvement  practised  in  the  various  breeds  of  cattle ;  no 
instruments  for  breaking  up  and  preparing  v/aste  lands ;  no 
system  for  draining  and  reclaiming  swamps  and  morasses ; 
though  that  part  of  the  country,  over  which  the  grand  com- 
munication is  effected  betM'cen  the  two  extremities  of  the 
empire,  abounds  with  lands  of  this  nature,  where  population 
is  excessive,  and  where  the  multitudes  of  shipping  that  pass 
and  repass  create  a  never-failing  demand  for  grain  and  other 
vegetable  products.  For  want  of  this  knowledge,  a  very 
considerable  ]30ition  of  the  richest  land,  perhaps,  in  the  whole 
empire,  is  suffered  to  remain  a  ban-en  and  unprofitable  waste. 
If  an  idea  may  be  formed  from  what  we  saw  in  the  course  of 
our  journey,  and  from  the  accounts  that  have  been  given  of 
the  other  provinces,  I  should  conclude,  that  one  fourth  part 
of  the  whole  country  nearly  consists  of  lakes,  and  low,  sour, 
swampy  grounds,  which  are  totally  uncultivated;  which, 
among  other  reasons  hereafter  to  be  mentioned,  may  serve  to 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  385 

explain  the  frequent  famines  tliat  occur,  in  a  more  satisfactory 
way  than  by  supposing,  a\  ith  the  Jesuits,  tliat  they  ai-e  ow  ing- 
to  the  circumstance  of  the  nations  bordering  upon  them  to 
the  westward  being  savage,  and  raising  no  corn,  'i'hcir  ig- 
norance of  draining,  or  their  dread  of  inundations,  to  "svliich 
the  low  countries  of  China,  in  their  present  state,  ai'e  subject, 
may  perhaps  have  dri\'en  them,  in  certain  situations,  to  the 
necessity  of  levelling  the  sides  of  mountains  into  a  succession 
of  terraces  ;  a  mode  of  cultivation  frequently  taken  notice  of 
by  the  missionaries  as  unexampled  in  Europe,  and  peculiar  to 
the  Chinese ;  whereas  it  is  common  in  mimy  pails  of  Europe. 
The  mountains  of  the  Pays  de  Vaud,  between  Lausanne  and 
Vevay,  are  cultivated  in  this  manner  to  their  sammits  with 
vines.  *'  This  would  have  been  impracticable,"  says  Doctor 
Moore,  "  on  account  of  the  steepness,  had  not  the  proprietors 
"  built  strong  stone  walls  at  proper  interA-als,  one  abo\'e  the 
*'  other  which  support  the  soil,  and  form  little  terraces  from 
"  the  bottom  to  the  top  of  the  mountains."  But  this  method 
of  terracmg  the  hills  is  not  to  be  considered,  by  any  means, 
as  a  common  practice  in  China.  In  our  direct  route  it  oc- 
cun-ed  only  twice,  and  then  on  so  small  a  scale  as  hardly  to 
deserve  notice.  The  whole  tenitorial  right  being  vested  in 
the  sovereign,  the  waste  lands  of  course  belong  to  the  crown; 
l:)ut  any  person,  by  giving  notice  to  the  proper  magistrate, 
may  obtain  a  propert)'  therein,  so  long  as  he  continues  to  pay 
such  portion  of  the  estimated  produce  as  is  required  to  be  col- 
lected mto  the  public  magazines. 

When  I  said  that  the  Chinese  might  claim  a  considerable 
share  of  merit  as  horticulturists,  I  meant  to  confine  the  ob- 
servation to  their  skill  and  industry  of  raising  the  greatest  pos- 
sible quantity  of  \'egetables  from  a  given  piece  of  ground. 
Of  the  modes  practised  in  Europe  of  improving  the  quality  of 
fruit,  they  seem  to  haAe  no  just  notion.  Their  oranges  iU'c 
naturally  good,  and  require  no  artificial  means  of  imj^rove- 
ment,  but  the  European  fruits,  as  apples,  pears,  jilums, 
peaches,  and  apricots,  ai^e  of  indifferent  quality.  They  ha\e 
a  common  method  of  propagating  several  kinds  of  fruit-trees, 
which  of  late  years  has  been  practised  with  success  in  Ben- 
gal. The  method  is  simply  this  :  they  strip  a  ring  of  bark, 
about  an  inch  in  width,  from  a  bearing  branch ;  surround  the 
place  with  a  ball  of  lat  earth,  or  loam,  bound  fast  to  the  branch 
with  a  piece  of  matting;  over  this  thev  suspend  a  pot,  or 

3  c 


386  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

horn,  with  water,  having  a  small  hole  in  the  bottom,  just 
sufficient  to  let  the  A^'ater  drop,  in  order  to  keep  the  eaith 
constantly  moist ;  the  branch  tlirows  new  roots  into  the  earth, 
just  above  the  place  Avhere  the  ring  was  stripped  off.  The 
operation  is  performed  in  the  spring,  and  the  branch  is  sawn 
off  and  put  into  the  ground  at  the  fall  of  the  leaf:  the  follow- 
ing }'ear  it  beais  fiiiit.  They  have  no  method  of  forcing  ve- 
getables by  artificial  heat,  or  by  excluding  the  cold  air,  and 
admitting,  at  the  same  time,  the  rays  of  the  sim  tlii'ough 
glass.  Their  chief  merit  consists  in  preparing  the  soil,  work- 
ing it  incessantly,  and  keeping  it  free  of  weeds. 

Upon  the  w'hole,  if  I  might  venture  to  offer  an  opinion  with 
respect  to  the  merit  of  the  Cliinese  as  agriculturists,  I  should 
not  hesitate  to  say  that,  let  as  much  ground  be  given  to  one  of 
their  peasants  as  he  and  his  family  can  work  with  the  spade,  and 
he  ^xl\\  turn  that  piece  of  ground  to  more  advantage,  and  pro- 
duce from  it  more  sustenance  for  the  use  of  man,  tlian  any  Eu- 
ropean whatsoever  would  be  able  to  do ;  but  let  fifty  or  one- 
hundred  acres  of  the  best  land  in  China  be  given  to  a  farmer, 
at  a  mean  rent ;  so  far  from  making  out  of  it  the  value  of  three 
rents,  on  which  our  farmers  usually  calculate,  he  A^'ould  scarcely 
be  able  to  support  his  family,  after  paying  the  expense  of  labour 
that  would  be  required  to  work  the  farm. 

In  fact,  there  ai'e  no  gi'eat  farms  m  China.  The  inhabitants 
enjoy  every  advantage  which  may  be  supposed  to  aiise  from 
the  lands  being  prett}^  equally  divided  among  them ;  an  advan- 
tage of  which  the  effects  might  probably  answer  the  expectations 
of  those  who  lean  towards  such  a  system,  were  they  not  counter- 
acted by  circumstances  that  are  not  less  prejudicial,  perhaps,  to 
the  benefit  of  the  public,  than  monopolizing  fanners  are  by  such 
persons  supposed  to  be  in  our  o'.vii  country.  One  of  the  circum- 
stances I  allude  to  is  the  common  practice,  in  almost  every  part 
of  die  country,  of  assembling  together,  in  to^vns  and  villages, 
between  which  veiy  frequently  the  intermediate  space  of  ground 
has  not  a  single  habitation  upon  it :  and  the  reason  assigned  for 
this  custom  is  the  dread  of  the  bands  of  robers  that  infest  the 
weak  and  unprotected  parts  of  the  country.  The  conse- 
quence of  such  a  system  is,  that,  although  the  lands  adjoining 
the  villages  be  kept  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  yet  those 
at  a  distance  are  suffered  to  remain  almost  useless  ;  for  having 
no  beasts  of  burden,  it  "would  be  an  endless  task  of  human  la- 
bour to  beai-  the  manure  that  would  be  required,  for  several 
miles,  upon  the  ground,  and  its  produce  from  thence  back 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  387 

again  to  the  village.  That  such  robbers  do  exist,  who,  in  for- 
midable g'angs,  plunder  the  peasantry,  is  very  certain :  She-foo- 
pao  was  watching  his  grain  to  present  its  being  stolen,  ^^■hen  he 
had  the  misfortune  of  shooting  his  relation,  "who  had  also  gone 
out  for  the  same  purpose.  The}'  are  sometimes,  indeed,  so 
numerous  as  to  threaten  their  most  populous  cities.  The  fre- 
quency of  such  robberies,  and  the  alarm  diey  occasion  to  the 
inhabitants,  ai'C  neither  favourable  to  the  high  notions  that  have 
been  entertained  of  the  Chinese  government,  nor  of  the  morals 
of  the  people.  Another,  and  perhaps  the  cliief,  disadvantage 
arising  from  kuided  property  being  pretty  equaU}-  di^•idcd,  will 
be  noticed  in  speaking  of  die  population  and  the  frequent  fa- 
mines. 

The  province  of  Kiang-nan  extends  from  about  31°  to  34*® 
of  northern  latitude ;  and  the  mean  temperature,  according  to 
Fahrenheit's  thermometer,  from  the  oOth  of  October  to  the  9th 
of  November,  was  54°  at  sun-rise  and  66°  at  noon  ;  the  sky 
uniformly  clciu\ 

The  province  of  Tche-kiang  abounds  in  lakes,  and  is  inter- 
sected w  ith  rivers  and  canals  like  Kiang-nan  ;  but  the  produce, 
except  that  of  a  little  rice,  is  very  different,  consisting  princi- 
pally of  silk.  For  feeding  the  worms  that  afibrd  this  article, 
all  the  fertile  and  beautiful  valleys  between  the  mountains,  as 
well  as  the  plains,  are  covered  ^ith  plantations  of  the  mulberrj-- 
tree.  The  small  houses,  in  which  the  ^vorms  are  reared,  are 
placed  generally  in  the  centre  of  each  plantation,  in  order  that 
they  may  be  removed  as  fiiras  possible  from  any  kind  of  noise  ; 
experience  having  taught  them  that  a  sudden  shout,  or  the 
JDark  of  a  dog  is  destructive  of  the  young  wonns.  A  whole 
brood  has  sometimes  perished  by  a  thunder- stomi.  The  great- 
est attention  is,  therefore,  necessary ;  and  accordingly,  they  are 
watched  night  and  da}-.  In  fine  Aveather,  the  young  \vorms 
are  exposed  to  the  sun,  upon  a  kind  of  thin  open  gauze  stretched 
in  ^^•ooden  frames  ;  mid  at  night  they  are  replaced  in  die 
plantation  houses.  The  trees  ai'e  pruned  from  time  to  time, 
in  order  to  cause  a  greater  quantity,  and  a  constant  succession 
of  young  leaves.  The  inhabitants  of  this  province,  especially 
in  die  cities,  are  alm.ost  universally  cloathed  in  silks  :  this  rule, 
among  the  Chinese,  of  consuming,  as  much  as  possible,  the  pro- 
ducts of  their  own  countr}-,  and  receiving  as  little  as  they  can 
a'>oidfroni  foreign  nations,  extends  even  to  the  provinces  ;  a 
practice  arising  out  of  the  litde  respect  that,  in  China,  as  in  an- 


crs  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

cicnt  Rome,  is  paid  to  those  concerned  in  trade  and  mer- 
chandize. 

Besides  silk,  Tche-kiang  produces  camphor,  tallow  fi-om  the 
CrotOR,  a  considerable  quantity  of  tea,  oranges,  and  almost  all 
the  fruits  that  ai'C  peculiar  to  the  country.  Every  part  of  the 
pro\  ince  appeared  to  be  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  and 
the  population  to  be  immense.  Both  the  raw  and  manufac- 
tured silks,  nankins,  and  other  cotton  cloths,  were  sold  at  such 
low  prices  in  the  capital  of  this  province,  tliat  it  is  difficult  to 
conceive  how  the  gi'owers  or  the  manufacturers  contrived  to 
gain  a  livelihood  by  their  labour.  But,  of  all  others,  I  am  the 
most  astonished  at  the  smdl  retums  that  must  necessarily  be 
made  to  the  cultivators  cf  the  tea-plant.  The  preparations  of 
some  of  the  finer  kinds  of  this  article  are  said  to  require  that 
every  leaf  should  be  rolled  singly  b}-  the  hand;  particulaiiy  such 
as  are  exported  to  the  European  mai'kets.  Besides  this,  there 
are  manv  processes,  such  as  steeping,  diying,  turning,  and  pack  - 
in"-,  after  it  has  been  plucked  off  the  shrub,  leaf  by  leaf.  Yet 
the  first  cost  in  the  tea  provinces  cannot  be  more  than  from 
four-pence  to  two  shillings  a  pound,  when  it  is  considered  that 
the  t)rdinaiy  teas  stand  the  East  India  company  in  no  more  than 
eight-pence  a  pound  ;  and  the  very  best  only  two  shillings 
and  eight-pence.*  Nothing  can  more  clearly  point  out  the 
patient  and  unremitting  labour  of  the  Chinese,  than  the 
preparation  of  this  plant  for  the  mai'ket.  It  is  a  curious  cir- 
cumstance, that  a  body  of  merchants  in  England  should  furnish 
employment,  as  might  easily  be  made  appear,  to  more  than  a 
million  subjects  of  a  nation  that  affects  to  despise  merchants, 
and  throws  every  obstacle  in  the  way  of  commercial  inter- 
course. 

The  mean  temperature  of  Tche-kiang,  in  the  middle  of  No- 
vember, was  from  fifty-six  degrees,  at  sun-rise,  to  sixty-two 
degrees,  at  noon.  The  extent,  from  north  to  south,  is  bet^v-een 
the  parallels  of  twenty-eight  and  thiity-four  and  a  half  degrees 
of  northern  latitude. 

The  northern  part  of  Kiang-sce  contains  the  great  Po-yang 
lake,  and  those  extensive  sv/amps  and  morasses  that  surround 

*  The  East  India  company  pays  from  thirteen  to  sixty  tales  per  pecul 
for  their  teas.  Some  tea  of  a  higher  price  is  purchased  by  individuals, 
but  seldom  or  ever  by  the  company.  A  tale  is  six  shillings  and  eight- 
pence,  and  SI  pc:ul  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  ^iounds  and  cne 
third. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  38§ 

it,  and  which,  as  I  have  already  observed,  may  be  considered 
as  the  sink  of  China.  The  middle  and  southern  paits  are 
mountainous.  The  chief  produce  is  sugar  and  oil  from  tlie 
Camellia  Sesanqua.  In  this  province  are  the  principal  manu- 
factories of  porcelain,  the  qualities  of  which,  as  I  have  in  a 
former  chapter  obserA  ed,  depend  more  on  the  care  bestowed 
in  the  preparation  and  in  the  selection  of  the  materials,  than 
in  any  secret  arts  possessed  by  them.  There  are  also,  in  this 
province,  lai'ge  manufactories  of  coarse  earthei\  ware,  of  tiles, 
and  bricks. 

The  extent  of  Kiang-see  is  from  tA\'enty-eight  to  tliirty  de- 
grees, and  the  temix:ratin"e,  in  No\  ember,  was  the  same  as 
that  of  the  neighbouring  pro\'ince  of  Tche-kiang. 

•  I  have-now  to  mention  a  subject  on  which  much  lias  already 
been  written  by  Aarious  authors,  but  without  the  success  of 
having  earned  conviction  into  the  minds  of  their  readers,  that 
tlie  things  which  they  offered  as  facts  were  either  true  or  pos- 
sible. I  allude  to  the  populousncss  of  tliis  extensive  empire. 
That  none  of  the  statements  hitherto  published  arc  strictl}-  true, 
I  am  free  to  admit ;  but  tliat  the  highest  degree  of  populous- 
ncss that  has  yet  been  assigned  may  be  possible,  and  even  pro- 
bable, I  am  equally  ready  to  contend.  At  the  same  time,  I 
acknowledge  that,  prepared  as  we  were,  from  all  that  vre  had 
seen  and  heard  and  read  on  tlie  subject,  for  something  -very 
extraordinary ;  yet  when  the  following  statement  was  deliver- 
ed, at  the  request  of  the  embassador,  by  Chou-ta-gin,  as  the 
abstract  of  a  census  tliat  had  been  taken  the  preceding  }-eiu% 
the  amount  appeared  so  enormous  as  to  suq^ass  credibilit\-. 
But  as  we  had  always  found  this  officer  a  plain,  unaffected, 
and  honest  man,  who  on  no  occasion  had  attempted  to  deceive 
or  impose  on  us,  we  could  not  consistently  consider  it  in  any 
other  light  than  as  a  document  drawn  up  from  authentic  ma- 
terials; its  inaccuracy,  however,  ^^■as  obvious  at  a  single  glance, 
from  the  several  sums  b^ing  given  in  round  millions.  I  have 
added  to  the  table  the  extent  of  the  provinces,  the  number  of 
people  on  a  square  mile,  and  the  value  of  the  surplus  taxes  re- 
mitted to  Pekin  in  the  year  1792,  as  mentioned  in  the  seventh 
chapter. 


5§0 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


Pro\incc3. 

Population . 

Square 
Miles. 

No.  on 

each  square 

Mile. 

Surplus  taxe? 

remitted  to 

Fekin. 

Pe-tche-lce 

Kiang-nan 

Kiang-sec 

Tche-kiang 

Fo-kien 

Hou-quang?""""-!'^^ 
^       °  <^Hou-iian 

Ho-nan 

Shan-tung 

Shan-sec 

Shen-see  7 

Kan-sou  ^one  proMnce 

Se-tcliucn 

Qiiang-tung 

Qiiang-scc 

Yu-nan 

Koei-tchoo 

38,000,000 
32,000,000 
19,000,000 
21,000,000 
15,000,000 
14,000,0007 
13,000,0005 
25,000,000 
24,000,000 
27,000,000 
18,000,0007 
12,000,0003 
27,000,000 
21,000,000 
10,000,000 
8,000,000 
9,000,000 

58,949 
92,961 
72,176 
39,150 

53,480 

144,770 

65,104 
65,104 
55,268 

154,003 

166,800 
79,456 
78,250 

107,969 
64,554 

644 
344 
263 
536 
280 

187 

384 
368 
488 

195 

162 
264 
128 
74 
140 

oz.  silver. 
3,036,000 
8,210,000 
2,120,000 
3,810,000 
1,277,000 

c  1,310,000 

I  1,345,000 
3,213,000 
3,600,000 
3,722,000 

<;  1,700.000 

I      340,000 
670,000 
1,340,000 
500,000 
210,000 
145,000 

Totals    |'333,000,000    f  1,297,999* 

36,548,000 1 

Considering,  then,  the  whole  surface  of  the  Chinese  dominions, 
Vvithin  the  p;ieat  Avail,  to  contain  1,297,999  squai'c  miles,  or 
830,719,360  English  acres,  and  the  population  to  amount  to 
333,000,000,  tvtry  square  mile  Vvill  be  found  to  contain  two 
hundred  aixl  fifty-six  persons,  and  every  individual  might 
possess  t^vo  acres  and  a  half  cf  land.  Great-Britain  is  supposed 
to  average  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  persons  on  one  square 
mile,  and  that  to  each  inhal^itant  there  might  be  assigned  a 
portion  of  five  acres,  or  to  each  family  five-and-twenty  acres. 
The  population  of  China,  therefore,  is  to  that  of  Great-Britain 
as  256  to  120,  or  in  a  proportion  some^vhat  greater  than  two 
to  one ;  and  the  quantity  of  land  that  each  individual  in  Great- 
Britain  might  possess  is  just  twice  as  maich  as  could  be  allowed 
to  each  indi^iduiil  of  China.  We  lia'v-e  only  then  to  enquire  if 
Britain,  under  the  same  circumstances  as  China,  be  capable  of 

*  The  measurement  annexed  to  each  of  the  fifteen  ancient  provinces 
vras  taken  from  the  maps  that  were  constructed  by  a  very  laborious,  and 
as  far  as  we  had  an  opportunity  of  comparinfj  them  with  the  country,  a 
very  accurate  survey,  which  employed  the  Jesuits  ten  years.  I  do  not 
pretend  to  say  that  the  areas,  as  I  have  given  them  in  the  table,  are  ma- 
thematically correct;  but  the  dimensions  were  taken  with  as  much  care 
as  was  deemed  necessary  for  the  purpose,  from  maps  drawn  on  a  large 
scale,  of  which  a  very  beautiful  manuscript  copy  is  now  in  his  majesty's 
library  at  Buckingham-house,  made  by  a  Chinese,  having;  aW  the  names 
Written  in  Chinese  and  Tartar  characters. 


TRAVELS, IN  CHINA.  39t 

supporting  twice  its  present  population,  or,  -which  is  the  same 
thing,  if  twch^e  and  an  half  acres  of  land  be  sufficient  for  the 
maintenance  of  a  family  of  fi\'e  persons  ?  .T^^•o  acres  of  choice 
land  sown  with  wheat,  under  good  tillage,  may  be  reckoiied  to 
average,  after  deducting  the  seed,  60  bushels  or  5600  pounds, 
which  every  baker  knows  Mould  yield  5400  pounds  of  bread, 
or  three  pounds  a-day  to  every  member  of  the  family  for  die 
whole  year.  Half  an  acre  is  a  gi-cat  allowance  for  a  kitchen- 
garden  and  potatoe-bed.  There  would  still  remain  ten  acres, 
which  must  be  very  bad  land,  if,  besides  paying  the  rent  and 
taxes,  it  did  not  keep  three  or  four  cows ;  and  an  industrious 
and  manao-inir  family  \\ould  find  no  difficulty  in  rcarino:  as 
many  pigs  and  as  much  poultr\-  as  would  be  nccessar}-  for 
home  consumption,  and  for  the  purchase  of  cloathing  and  other 
indispensable  necessaries.  If  then,  the  country  ^^-as  pretty 
equally  partitioned  out  in  this  manner ;  if  the  land  was  applied 
solely  to  produce  food  for  man ;  if  no  horses  nor  superfluous 
animals  were  kept  for  pleasnrc,  and  few  only  for  labour ;  if  the 
country  was  not  drained  of  its  best  hands  in  foreign  trade  and 
in  large  manuHictories ;  if  the  carriage  of  goods  for  exchang- 
ing with  other  goods  >\"as  performed  by  canals  and  ri^'ers  and 
lakes,  all  abounding  with  lish ;  if  the  catching  of  these  fish 
gave  employment  to  a  very  considerable  portion  of  the  inhabit- 
ants ;  if  the  bulk  of  the  people  were  satisfied  to  abstain  almost 
Avholly  from  animal  food,  except  sucli  as  is  most  easily  pro- 
cured, that  of  pigs  and  ducks  and  fish ;  if  only  a  veiy  small 
part  of  the  grain  raised  was  employed  in  the  distilleries,  but 
was  used  as  the  staff  of  life  for  man ;  and  if  tliis  grain  "\^•as  of 
such  a  nature  as  to  yield  twice,  and  e\'en  three  times,  the  pro- 
duce that  wheat  Avill  gi^■e  on  the  same  space  of  ground ;  if, 
moreover,  the  climate  was  so  favourable  as  to  allo^v  two  such 
crops  every  year;  if,  under  all  these  circumstances,  twelve 
and  a  half  acres  of  land  \\'ould  not  support  a  family  of  five  per- 
sons ;  the  fault  could  only  be  ascribed  to  idleness  or  bad  ma- 
nagement. 

Let  us,  then,  for  a  moment,  consider  that  these  or  similar 
advantages  operate  in  China ;  that  e\^eiy  product  of  the  ground 
is  appropriated  solcl}-  for  the  food  and  cloathing  of  man  ;  that  a 
single  acre  of  land,  sown  with  rice,  will  yield  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity for  the  consumption  of  five  people  for  a  u  hole  year,  ailov,-- 
ing  to  each  person  two  pounds  a-day,  provided  the  returns  of 
his  crop  are  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  for  one,  ^^'hich  ai'e  con- 


392  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

sidered  as  extremely  moderate,  being  frequently  more  than 
twice  this  quantity ;  that,  in  the  southern  pro^'inces,  tv\  o  crops 
of  rice  ai^e  produced  in  die  ycai-,  one  acre  of  a\  hich  I  am  well 
assured,  ^ith  proper  culture,  "will  afford  a  supply  of  that  grain 
t\cn  for  ten  persons,  and  that  an  acre  of  cotton  a\  ill  clothe  two 
cw*  three  hundred  persons,  wc  ma}^  justly  infer  that  instead  of 
twelve  acres  to  each  family,  half  that  quantity  would  appear  to 
be  more  than  necessary ;  and  safely  conclude,  that  there  is  no 
want  of  land  to  support  the  assumed  population  of  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty-three  millions.  This  being  the  case,  the  popu- 
lation is  not  yet  an-ived  at  a  level  with  the  means  which  tlie 
countr}'  affords  of  subsistence. 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  country  where  the  condition  of  the 
peasantry'  may  more  justiy  be  compared  with  those  of  China 
than  Ireland.  This  island,  according  to  the  latest  survey,  con- 
tains about  17,000,000  English  acres,  730,000  houses  and 
3,500,000  souls ;  so  that,  as  in  Great  Britain,  each  individual 
averages  very  nearly  five  acres,  and  eveiy  family  five-and-twen- 
ty.  An  Irish  cottager  holds  seldom  more  than  an  Irish  acre  of 
land,  or  one  and  three -quLulers  English  nearly,  in  cultivation, 
with  a  co\\"'s  grass,  for  ^^•hich  he  pays  a  rent  from  t\^"0  to  five 
pounds.  Those  on  Lord  Macartney's  estate  at  Lissanore  have 
their  acre,  'which  they  cultivate  in  di\4sioiis  with  oats,  potatoes, 
kale,  and  a  little  flax  ;  with  this  they  have  besides  the  full  pas- 
turage of  a  cow  all  the  yeai'  upon  a  large  waste,  not  overstock- 
ed, and  a  comfoitable  cabin  to  inhabit,  for  which  each  pays 
the  rent  of  three  pounds.  The  cottager  v.orks  j^erhaps  three 
days  in  thevvcek,  at  nine-pence  a-day ;  if,  instead  of  which,  he 
had  a  second  acre  to  cultivate,  he  ^vould  derive  m.ore  benefit 
fi"om  its  produce  than  from  the  product  of  his  three  days  labour 
per  week ;  that  is  to  say,  provided  he  \\ould  expend  the  same 
labour  in  its  tillage.  Thus,  then,  supposing  only  half  of  Ire- 
land in  a  state  of  cultis-ation  and  the  other  half  pasturage,  it 
\AOuld  support  a  population  more  than  three  times  that  "whicli 
it  now  contains  ;  and  as  a  centun,-  ago  it  had  no  more  than  a 
million  of  people,  so,  within  the  present  century,  under  favour- 
able circumstances,  it  may  increase  to  ten  millions.  And  it  is 
not  unworthy  of  remark,  that  this  great  increase  of  population 
in  Ireland  has  taken  place  since  the  introduction  of  the  potatoe, 
which  gives  a  never-failing  crop. 

I  am  a^^'are  that  such  is  not  the  common  opinion  which  pre- 
vails in  this  country,  neither  with  regard  to  Irekmd  nor  China ; 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  393 

on  the  contrary,  the  latter  is  generally  supposed  to  be  over- 
stocked with  people  ;  that  the  land  is  insufficient  for  their  main- 
tenance, and  that  the  cities  stand  so  thick  one  after  the  other, 
especially  along  the  grand  navigation  between  Pekin  and  Can- 
ton, that  they  almost  occupy  the  whole  surface.  I  should  not, 
however,  have  expected  to  meet  with  an  observation  to  this 
effect  from  the  A-ery  learned  commentator  on  the  voyage  of 
Nearchus,  founded  on  no  better  authority  tlian  the  crude  notes 
of  one  iEneas  Anderson,  a  liveiy  ser\^ant  of  Lord  INIacartney, 
vamped  up  by  a  London  bookseller  as  a  speculation  that  could 
not  fail ;  so  greatly  excited  \\as  public  curiosity  at  the  return 
of  the  embassy.  I  would  not  be  thought  to  disparage  the  au- 
thority on  account  of  its  being  that  of  a  liveiy  sei-vant ;  on  the 
contrary,  the  notes  of  the  meanest  and  dullest  person,  on  a 
country  so  little  ti-avelled  over,  would  be  deserving  attention 
before  they  came  into  the  hands  of  a  book-dresser ;  but  what 
dependence  can  be  placed  on  the  information  of  an  autliorwho 
states,  as  a  fact,  that  he  saAV  tea  and  rice  growing  on  the  banks 
of  the  Pei-ho,  between  the  tliirty-ninth  and  fortieth  parallels 
of  latitude ;  t\vo  articles  of  culture,  of  which,  in  the  a\  hole  pro- 
vince of  Pe-tche-lee,  they  know  no  more  than  we  do  in  Eng- 
land ;  and  who  ignorantly  and  impertinently  talks  of  the  shock- 
ing ideas  the  Chinese  entertained  of  English  cruelt}-,  on  seeing 
one  of  the  guard  receive  a  few  lashes,  v»  hen,  not  only  die  com- 
mon soldiers,  but  the  officers  of  diis  nation  are  flogged  most 
severely  with  the  bamboo,  on  every  slight  occasion.  If  doctor 
Vincent,  from  reading  tiiis  book,  was  really  persuaded  that  the 
cities  of  China  were  so  large  and  so  numerous,  that  they  left 
not  ground  enough  to  subsist  the  inhabitants,  I  could  wish  to 
recall  his  attention  for  a  few  moments  to  this  subject,  as  opi- 
nions sanctioned  by  such  high  authority,  whether  right  or 
\\rong,  are  sure,  in  some  degree,  to  bias  the  public  mind.  We 
have  seen  that,  if  China  be  allo^\ed  to  contain  tlirec  hundred 
and  thirty-diree  millions  of  people,  the  proportion  of  its  popu- 
lation is  only  just  double  that  of  Great  Britain.  Now,  if  Lon- 
don and  Li\erj:)ool  and  Bimiingham  and  GlasgoAV,  and  all  the 
cities,  towTis,  villages,  gentlemen's  villas,  farm-houses  and  cot- 
tages, in  this  island,  were  doubled,  I  see  no  great  incom'eniencc 
likely  to  luise  from  such  duplication.  The  unproductive  land, 
in  the  shape  of  gentlemen's  parks  and  pleasure  gromids,  would, 
I  presume,  be  much  more  than  sufficient  to  counterbalance  the 
quantity  occupied  by  the  new  erections ;  and  the  wastes  and 


394  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

commons  would,  perhaps,  be  more  tlian  enough  to  allow  even 
a  second  duplication.  But  the  population  of  an  English  city 
is  not  to  be  compared  with,  or  considered  as  similar  to,  the 
populousncss  of  a  Chinese  city,  as  will  be  obvious  by  consi- 
dering tlie  two  capitals  of  these  two  empires.  Pekin,  accord- 
ing to  a  measurement  supposed  to  be  taken  with  great  accura- 
cy, occupies  a  space  of  about  fourteen  square  miles.  London, 
with  its  suburbs,  when  reduced  to  a  square,  is  said  to  com- 
prehend about  nine  square  miles.  The  houses  of  Pekin  rarely 
exceed  a  single  story ;  those  of  London  are  seldom  less  than 
four ;  yet  both  the  Chinese  and  the  missionaries  who  are  set- 
tled in  this  capital  agi'ce  that  Pekin  contains  three  millions  of 
people ;  while  London  is  barely  allowed  to  have  one  million. 
The  reason  of  this  difference  is,  that  most  of  the  cross  streets 
of  a  Chinese  city  are  ^'ery  nan-ow,  and  tlie  alleys  brandling 
from  them  so  confined,  that  a  person  may  place  one  hand  on 
one  side  and  the  other  on  the  other  side  as  he  walks  along;* 
that  the  houses  in  general  are  very  small,  and  that  each  house 
contains  six,  eight,  or  ten  persons,  sometimes  twice  the  num- 
ber. If,  therefore,  fourteen  square  miles  of  buildings  in  China 
contain  three  millions  of  inhabitants,  and  nine  square  miles  of 
buildings  in  England  one  million,  the  population  of  a  city  in 
China  will  be  to  that  of  a  city  in  England  as  twenty-seven  to 
fourteen,  or  verj^  neai'ly  as  two  to  one ;  and  the  former,  with  a 
proportion  of  inhabitants  double  to  that  of  the  latter,  will  only 
have  the  same  proportion  of  buildings ;  so  that  there  is  no  ne- 
cessity of  their  being  so  closely  crowded  together,  or  of  their 
occup5ang  so  great  a  portion  of  land,  as  to  interfere  with  the 
quantity  necessary  for  the  subsistence  of  the  people. 

I  have  been  thus  particulai*,  in  order  to  set  in  its  true  light 
a  subject  that  has  been  much  agitated  and  generally  disbelieved. 
The  sum  total  of  three  hundi-ed  and  thirty-tliree  millions  is 
so  enormous,  tliat  in  its  aggregate  form  it  astonishes  the  mind 
and  staggers  credibility  ;  yet  we  find  no  difficulty  in  conceiv- 
ing that  a  single  square  mile  in  China  may  contain  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-six  persons,  especially  when  we  call  to  our  re- 
collection the  United  Provinces  of  Holland,  which  have 
been  calculated  to  contain  two  hundred  and  seventy  inhabit- 


*  One  of  the  streets  in  the  suburbs  of  Canton  is  emphatically  called 
Squeeze-gut-alley,  which  is  so  narrow  that  every  gentleman  in  the  com* 
pany's  service  does  not  find  it  quite  convenient  to  pass. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA,  395 

ants  on  a  square  mile.  And  the  United  Provinces  have 
enjoyed  few  of  the  advantages  favourable  to  population,  of 
which  China,  for  ages  past,  has  been  in  tiie  uninterrupted 
possession. 

The  materials  for  the  statement  given  by  Father  Amiot  of 
the  population  of  China  appear  to  have  been  collected  Avith 
care.  The  number  of  souls  in  1760,  according  to  tliis  state- 
ment was         .....         196,837,977 

In  1761 198,214,553 


Amiual  increase,         -         -  1,376,576 

This  statement  must,  ho\vever,  be  incorrect,  from  the 
circumstance  of  some  millions  of  people  being  excluded  who 
have  no  fixed  habitation,  but  ai'c  constantly  changing  tiieir 
position  on  the  inlaiid  navigations  of  tlie  empire,  as  ^vell  as 
all  tiie  islanders  of  the  Archipelago  of  Chu-san  and  of  For- 
mosa. Without,  ho^\ever,  taking  these  into  consideration, 
and  by  supposing  die  number  of  souls,  in  1761,  to  amount 
to  198,214,553,  there  ought  to  have  been,  in  the  year  1793, 
by  allowing  a  progressive  increase,  according  to  a  moderate 
calculation  in  political  arithmetic,  at  least  280,000,000  soiils. 
Whether  this  great  empire  (the  first  in  rank,  both  in  extent 
and  population)  may  or  may  not  actually  contain  333  millions 
of  SQuls,  is  a  point  diat  Europeans  are  not  likely  ever  to 
ascertain.  That  it  is  capable  of  subsisting  this  and  a  much 
greater  population  has,  I  think,  been  sufficiently  proved.  I 
know  it  is  a  common  argument  "with  those  who  are  not  willing 
to  admit  the  fact,  that,  aldiough  cities  and  towns  and  shipping 
may  be  cro\\dcd  together  in  an  astonishing  manner,  on  and 
neai-  the  grand  route  between  the  capital  and  Canton,  yet  that 
the  interior  parts  of  the  countr}'  are  almost  deserted.  By  some 
of  our  party  going  to  Chusan,  ^ve  had  occasion  to  see  parts 
of  the  countrj'^  remote  from  the  common  road,  and  such  parts 
happened  to  be  by  far  the  most  populous  in  the  whole  journey. 
But,  independent  of  the  small  portion  of  country  seen  by  us, 
the  western  provinces,  which  are  most  distant  from  the  grand 
navigation,  are  considered  as  the  granaries  of  the  empire ; 
and  the  cultivation  of  much  gTain,  where  fe^v  cattle  and  less 
machinery  are  used,  necessai'ily  implies  a  coiTcsponding  popu- 
lation. Thus  we  see,  from  the  above  table,  that  tlie  surplus 
produce  of  the  land  remitted  to  Pekin  from  the  pro\inces  of 


396  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 


Oz.  silver. 


Honan  ")  .    r        .1  i       )    3,213,000 

™see      i      remote  from  the  gi-and      /    3  7^2  000 

Sta-see      S  "^^^§^^^^"^^^'^^'^  S    2;040;000 

Wliilst  tliose  of 

Pe-tche-lee  )  ,1  a       ■    ^-  )    3,036,000 

t,^      '  /     on  the  errand  navigation,     /    ^  Ann  nnr^ 

Shan-tung    V  ^  ^  >    o, 600,000 

Tche-kiang)  ^^^^^  )    3,810,000 

chiefly  in  rice,  wheat,  and  millet.  There  are  no  grounds, 
therefore,  for  supposing  that  the  interior  parts  of  China  are 
deserts. 

There  are  others  again  who  are  persuaded  of  the  popula- 
tion being  so  enormous,  that  the  country-  is  ^^■holly  inadequate 
to  supply  the  means  of  subsistence  ;  and  that  famines  are  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  keep  down  the  former  to  the  level  of  the 
latter.  The  loose  and  general  way  in  which  the  accounts  of 
the  missionaries  are  dra\ni  up  certainly  leave  such  an  impres- 
sion ;  but  as  I  have  endeavoured  to  shew  that  such  is  far  from 
being  the  case,  it  may  be  expected  I  should  also  attempt  to 
explain  the  frequency  of  those  disastrous  famines  which  occa- 
sionally commit  such  temble  havock  in  this  country.  I  am 
of  opinion,  then,  that  three  principal  reasons  may  be  assigned 
for  them.  First,  the  equal  division  of  the  land  :  secondly, 
the  mode  of  cultivation  :  and  thirdly,  the  nature  of  the  pro- 
ducts. 

If,  in  the  first  place,  every  man  has  it  in  his  option  to  rent 
as  much  land  as  will  support  his  fiimily  with  food  and  cloathing, 
he  will  have  no  occasion  to  go  to  mai-ket  for  the  first  necessi- 
ties ;  and  such  being  generally  the  case  in  China,  those  first 
necessities  find  no  market,  except  in  the  lai'ge  cities.  When 
the  peasant  has  brought  under  tillage  of  grain  as  much  land 
as  may  be  sufficient  for  the  consumption  of  his  own  family, 
and  the  necessary  suq^lus  for  the  hmdlord,  he  looks  no  fur- 
ther ;  and  all  his  neighbours  having  done  the  same,  the  first 
necessities  ai-e,  in  fact,  unsaleable  articles,  except  in  so  far  as 
regards  the  demands  of  large  cities,  which  are  by  no  means  so 
close  upon  one  another  as  has  been  imagined.  A  surplus  of 
grain  is  likewise  less  calculated  to  exchange  for  superfluities  or 
luxuries  than  many  other  articles  of  produce.  This  being 
the  case,  ii;  by  any  accident,  a  fiiilure  of  the  crops  should 
be  general  in  a  province,  it  has  no  relief  to  expect  fi-om  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  397 

neighbouring  provinces,  nor  any  supplies  from  foreign  coun- 
tries. In  China  there  are  no  great  farmers  A\ho  store  their 
grain  to  throw  into  the  market  in  seasons  of  scarcit)^  In  such 
seasons  the  only  resource  is  that  of  the  gOAcrnment  opening 
its  mag-azines,  and  restoring  to  the  people  that  portion  of 
their  crop  which  it  had  demiuidcd  from  them  as  the  price  of 
its  protection.  And  this  being  originally  only  a  tenth  part,  out 
of  which  the  monthly  subsistence  of  every  officer  and  soldier 
had  already  been  deducted,  the  remainder  is  seldom  adequate 
to  the  wants  of  the  people.  Insurrection  and  rebellion  en- 
sue ;  and  those  who  may  escape  the  devouring  scourge  of 
famine,  in  all  probability,  full  by  the  sword.  In  such  seasons 
a  whole  pro\ince  is  sometimes  hcilf  depopulated ;  WTCtched 
parents  ai'e  reduced,  by  imperious  ^^•ant,  to  sell  or  destroy 
their  offspring,  and  children  to  put  an  end,  by  violence,  to 
the  sufferings  of  their  aged  and  infirm  piu-ents.  Thus,  the 
equal  division  of  land,  so  favourable  to  population  in  seasons 
of  plenty,  is  just  the  reverse  when  the  calamity  of  a  famine 
falls  upon  the  people. 

In  the  second  place,  a  scarcity  may  be  owing  to  the  mode 
of  cultivation.  When  I  mention  diat  two-thirds  of  the  small 
quantity  of  land  under  tillage  is  cultivated  with  the  spade  or 
the  hoe,  or  otherwise  by  manual  labour,  without  the  aid  of 
draught-cattle  or  skilful  machinery,  it  ^\ill  readily  be  conceived 
how  very  small  a  portion  each  family  will  be  likely  to  employ 
every  year ;  certainly  not  one-third  part  of  his  average  allow- 
ance. 

The  diird  cause  of  famines  may  be  owing  to  the  nature  of 
the  products,  particularly  to  that  of  rice.  This  gi-ain,  the  staff 
of  life  in  China,  thougli  it  yields  abundant  returns  in  favour  r 
able  seasons,  is  more  liable  to  fail  than  most  others.  A  drought 
in  its  CcU-ly  stages  w  ithers  it  on  die  gi'ound ;  and  an  inunda- 
tion, when  nearly  ripe,  is  equall}^  destructive.  The  birds  and 
the  locusts,  more  numerous  in  this  countr}^  than  an  European 
can  well  conceive,  infest  it  more  than  any  other  kind  of  grain. 
In  the  northern  provinces,  where  Avheat,  millet,  and  pulse,  are 
cultivated,  famines  more  rarel}'  happen ;  and  I  am  persuaded 
that  if  potitoes  and  Guinea  corn  (Zea-Mays)  were  once 
adopted  as  the  common  vegetable  food  of  the  people,  those 
direful  famines  that  produce  such  general  misery  would  en- 
tirel)^  cease,  and  the  increase  of  population  be  as  rapid  as  tliat 
of  Ireland.    This  root,  in  the  northern  provinces,  and  tliis 


398  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

grain,  in  tlie  middle  and  southern  ones,  would  never  feil  them. 
An  acre  of  potatoes  would  yield  more  food  than  an  acre  of  rice, 
and  twice  the  nourishment.  Rice  is  the  poorest  of  all  grain, 
if  Ave  may  judge  from  the  slender  and  delicate  forms  of  all  the 
people  M  ho  use  it  as  the  chief  article  of  their  sustenance ;  and 
potatoes  are  just  the  contrarj.* 

As  Dr.  Adam  Smith  observes,  *'  The  chairmen,  porters, 
"  and  coal-heavers  in  London,  and  tiiose  unfortunate  women 
*'  who  live  by  prostitution,  the  strongest  men  and  the  most 
"  beautiful  women,  perhaps,  in  the  British  dominions,  are  said 
*'  to  be,  the  greater  part  of  them,  from  the  lowest  rank  of  the 
*'  people  in  Ireland,  aaIio  are  generally  fed  with  this  root;  no 
*'  ibod  can  afford  a  more  decisive  proof  of  its  nourishing  qua- 
"  lit}%  or  of  its  being  peculiai'ly  suitable  to  the  health  of  the 
*'  human  constitution. "  The  Guinea  com  requires  little  or  no 
attention  alter  the  seed  is  di'opped  into  the  ground ;  and  its 
leaves  and  juicy  stems  are  not  more  nourishing  for  cattle  than 
its  prolific  heads  ai-e  for  the  sustenance  of  man. 

Vaiious  causes  have  contributed  to  the  populousness  of 
China.  Sinpe  the  Tartar  conquest  it  may  be  said  to  have  en- 
joyed a  profound  peace ;  for,  in  the  different  wars  and  skir- 
mishes that  have  taken  place  with  tlie  neighbouring  nations  on 
the  side  of  India,  and  with  the  Russians  on  the  confines  of  Si- 
beria, a  few  Taitar  soldiers  only  have  been  employed.  The 
Chinese  ai'my  is  parcelled  out  as  guards  for  the  towns,  cities, 
and  \'illages ;  and  stationed  at  the  numberless  posts  on  the  roads 
and  canals.  Being  seldom  relieved  from  the  several  guards, 
they  all  marry  and  have  families.  A  certain  portion  of  land  is 
allotted  for  their  use,  which  they  have  sufficient  time  to  culti- 
vate. As  the  nation  has  little  foreign  commerce,  there  are  few 
seamen :  such  as  belong  to  the  inland  navigations  are  mostly 
married.  Although  there  be  no  direct  penalty  levied  against 
such  as  remain  batchelors,  as  was  tlie  case  among  the  Romans, 
Tvhen  they  wished  to  repair  the  desolation  that  their  civil  wars 
had  occasioned,  yet  public  opinion  considers  celibacy  as  dis- 
gi-aceful,  and  a  sort  of  infamy  is  attached  to  a  man  who  con- 
tinues  unmarried  beyond  a  certain  time  of  life.    And  although 

*  The  great  advantage  of  a  potatoe  crop,  as  I  before  observed,  is  the 
certainty  of  its  success.  Were  a  general  failure  of  this  root  to  take 
place,  as  sometimes  happens  to  crops  of  rice,  Ireland,  in  its  present  state, 
ivoiild  experience  all  the  horrors  that  attend  a  famine  in  some  of  the  pro-j 
vinces  of  China. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  399 

in  China  the  pubUc  law  be  not  established  of  the  Jus  trium 
liberorum,  by  which  every  Roman  citizen  having  three  chil- 
dren was  entitled  to  certain  privileges  and  immunities,  jet 
every  male  cliild  may  be  pro\'ided  for,  and  recei\e  a  stipend 
from  the  moment  of  his  birth,  by  his  name  being  enrolled  on 
the  military  list.  By  the  equal  di\dsion  of  the  counti}'  into 
small  farms,  ever)'  peasant  has  the  means  of  bringing  up  his 
family,  if  drought  and  inundation  do  not  fnistrate  his  labour ; 
and  the  pursuits  of  agi-iculture  ai-e  more  fa\  ourable  to  health, 
and  consequently  to  population,  tlian  mechanical  employments 
in  crowded  cities,  and  large  manufactories,  where  those  who 
are  doomed  to  toil  are  more  Uable  to  become  the  victims  of 
disease  and  debaucherj^,  than  such  as  are  exposed  to  the  free 
and  open  air,  and  to  active  and  a\  holcsome  labour.  In  China 
there  are  few  of  such  manufacturing  cities.  No  gieat  capitiils 
are  here  employed  in  any  one  branch  of  the  aits.  In  general 
each  labours  for  himself  in  his  own  profession.  From  the  ge- 
neral poverty  that  prevails  among  the  lower  ordci's  of  people, 
the  vice  of  drunkemiess  is  little  practised  among  them.  The 
multitude,  from  necessity,  are  temperate  in  their  diiet,  to  the 
last  degi'ee.  The  climate  is  moderate ;  and,  except  in  the 
northern  provinces,  Avhere  the  cold  is  severe,  remarkably  uni- 
form ;  not  liable  to  those  sudden  and  great  changes  in  tempe- 
rature, which  the  human  constitution  is  less  able  to  resist  than 
the  extremes  of  heat  or  cold,  \^'hen  steady  and  invariable,  and 
from  which  the  inconveniences  are,  perhaps,  no  where  so  se- 
verely felt  as  on  our  o\mi  island.  Except  the  small  -pox  and 
contagious  diseases  that  occasionally  break  out  in  their  confined 
and  crowded  cities,  they  ai'e  liable  to  few  epidemical  disorders. 
The  still  and  inanimate  kind  of  life  \\  liich  is  led  by  the  ^vomen, 
at  the  same  time  that  it  is  supposed  to  render  them  prolific, 
preserves  tliem  from  accidents  that  might  cause  untimely 
births.     Every  woman  suckles  and  nurses  her  own  cliild. 

The  operation  of  these  and  other  fa\'ourable  causes  that 
might  be  assigned,  in  a  countrj^  that  has  existed  under  the 
same  form  of  government,  and  preserved  the  same  laws  and 
customs  for  so  many  ages,  must  necessaiily  have  created  an 
excess  of  population  unknomi  in  most  other  parts  of  the  world, 
where  the  ravages  of  war,  several  times  repeated  in  the  course 
of  a  centur}',  or  internal  commotions,  or  pestilential  disease,  or 
the  eflfects  of  OAcrgrown  wealth,  sometimes  sv.eep  awa}-  one 


400  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA, 

half  of  a  nation  within  the  usual  period  allotted  to  the  life  of 
man. 

"  What  a  grand  and  curious  spectacle,"  as  Sir  George 
Staunton  observes,  "  is  here  exhibited  to  the  mind  of  so  large 
*'  a  proportion  of  tlie  whole  human  race,  connected  together 
"  in  one  great  system  of  polity,  submitting  quietly  and  through 
"  so  considerable  an  extent  of  countiy  to  one  great  sovereign ; 
*'  and  uniform  in  their  laws,  their  manners,  and  their  language; 
*'  but  differing  essentially  in  each  of  these  respects  from  every 
"  other  portion  of  mankind ;  and  neither  desirous  of  commu- 
"  nicating  with,  nor  forming  any  designs  against,  the  rest  of 
"  the  ^\orld."  How  strong  an  instance  does  China  afford  of 
the  truth  of  the  observation,  that  men  are  more  easily  governed 
by  opinion  than  by  power. 


CHAP.  X. 


JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  PROVINCE  OF  CANTON.— SITUATION 
OF  FOREIGNERS  TRADING  TO  THIS  PORT.— CONCLUSION. 


Visible  Change  in  tlie  Character  of  the  people. — Rugged  Mountains. — Collie- 
ries.— Temple  in  a  Ca%ern.— Stone  Quarries. — Various  Plants  for  Use  and  Or- 
nament.— Arrive  at  Canton. — Expense  of  the  Embassy  to  the  Chinese  Govern 
ment. — To  tlic  British  Nation. — Nature  and  Inconveniences  of  the  Trade  to 
Canton. — The  Armenian  and  his  Pearl. — Impositions  of  the  Officers  of  Govern- 
ment instanced. — Principal  Cause  of  them  is  the  Ignorance  of  the  Language.— 
Case  of  Chinese  trading  to  London — A  Chinese  killed  by  a  Seaman  of  Hia 
Majesty's  Ship  Madras. — Delinquent  saved  from  an  ignominious  Death,  by  » 
proper  Mode  of  Communication  with  the  Government. — Conclusion. 

WE  had  no  sooner  passed  the  summit  of  die  high  moun- 
tain Mc-Hn,  and  entered  the  province  of  Quan-tung,  or  Ciui- 
ton,  than  a  \cry  sensible  difference  was  percei\-ed  in  the  con- 
duct of  the  inhabitants.  Hitherto  the  embassy  had  met  with 
the  greatest  respect  and  ei\ility  from  all  classes  of  the  natives, 
but  now  even  the  peasantr}-  ran  out  of  their  houses,  as  Ave  pas- 
sed, and  bawled  iifter  us  Queitze-fan-quei,  v  hich,  in  their  lan- 
guage, are  opprobrious  and  coniemptuous  expressions,  signi- 
f}ing  foreign  de\'ils,  imps ;  epithets  that  aie  bestoA\ed  by  the 
enlightened  Chinese  on  all  foreigners.  It  was  obvious  that  the 
liaught}'  and  insolent  manner  in  which  all  Europeans  residing 
at,  or  trading  to,  the  j:)ort  of  Canton  ai-e  treated,  had  exteniled 
itself  to  the  northern  frontier  of  die  pro\-ince,  Ijut  it  had  not 
crossed  the  mountain  Me-lin ;  the  natives  of  Kiang-see  being 
a  quiet,  civil,  and  inoffensive  people.  In  Quan-tung,  the  far- 
ther we  ad\-anccd,  the  more  rude  and  insolent  they  became.  A 
timely  rebuke,  however,  given  to  the  governor  of  Nau-sheun* 
foo,  by  X^m-ta-gin,  for  applying  the  above-mentioned  oppro- 

3  K 


403  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

brious  epithets  to  the  British  embassy,  had  a  good  effect  on 
the  Canton  oflicers,  who  were  now  to  be  our  coiuluctors 
through  their  pro\'ince. 

This  contempt  of  foreigners  is  not  confined  to  the  upper 
ranks  or  men  in  office,  but  pervades  the  very  lowest  class,  who, 
whilst  they  make  no  scruple  of  entering  into  the  service  of  fo- 
reign merchants  residing  in  the  countiy,  and  accepting  the 
most  menial  employments  under  them,  performing  the  duties 
of  their  several  offices  with  diligence,  punctuality,  imd  fidelity, 
affect,  at  the  same  time,  to  despise  their  employers,  and  to 
consider  them  as  placed,  in  the  scale  of  human  beings,  many 
degrees  below  them.  Having  one  day  observed  my  Chinese 
servant  busily  em.pioyed  in  drying  a  quantity  of  tea-leaves, 
that  had  already  been  used  for  breakflist,  and  of  Avhich  he  had 
collected  several  pounds,  I  inquired  ^vhat  he  meant  to  do  with 
them :  he  replied,  to  m.ix  them  with  other  tea  and  sell  them. 
*'  And  is  that  the  way,"  said  I,  "in  which  you  cheat  your 
"  own  countrymen?"  "  No,"  replied  he,  "  my  own  coun- 
"  trymen  are  too  wise  to  be  so  easily  cheated  ;  but  yours  are 
*'  stupid  enough  to  let  lis  ser\e  you  such  like  tricks  ;  and  in- 
"  deed,"  continued  he,  with  the  greatest  sang-froid  imagina- 
ble, *'  any  thing  you  get  from  us  is  quite  good  enough  for 
*'  you."  Affecting  to  beangr\Mvith  him,  he  said,  "  he  meant 
*'  for  the  second  sort  of  Englishmen  ;"  which  is  a  distinction 
they  give  to  the  Americans.* 

The  city  of  Nan-sheun-foo  A\as  pleasantly  situated  on  the 
high  bank  of  the  river  Pei-kiang-ho.  The  houses  appeared  to 
be  very  old,  the  streets  naiTow,  large  tracts  of  ground  ^^  ithin  the 
walls  unbuilt,  others  co\ered  with  ruins.  While  the  barges 
were  preparing  to  receive  on  board  the  baggage,  we  took  up 
our  lodgings  in  the  public  temple,  that  was  dedicated  to  the 
memory  of  Conflicius,  being,  at  the  same  time  the  college 
where  the  students  are  examined  for  their  different  degrees.  It 
consisted  of  a  long  dark  room,  divided  by  two  rows  of  red  pil- 
lars into  a  middle  and  two  side  ailes,  without  furniture,  paint- 
ings, statues,  or  ornaments  of  any  kind,  except  a  few  paper 
lanterns  suspended  between  the  pillars  ;  the  floor  was  of  eailh, 
and  entirely  broken  up  :  to  us  it  had  more  the  appcai'ance  of  a 

*  In  the  Canton  jargon,  second  chop  Englishmen  ;  and  even  this  dis- 
tinction the  Americans,  I  understand,  have  nearly  forfeited  in  the  m'uids 
of  the  Chinese. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  405 

large  passage  or  gaiig-\\a}^  to  some  manufactory,  as  a  brew- 
house  or  iron-fouiidery,  tli:m  of  the  hcill  of  Confucius.  On 
each  side,  and  at  the  forther  extremity,  w  ere  sca  eral  small 
apartments,  in  which  \\ e  contri\ed  to  pass  the  night. 

The  barges  in  which  \\e  now  embarked  were  xcry  small, 
owing  to  the  shallowness  of  the  nvtr.  The  officers,  assembled 
liere  from  different  parts  of  the  counti-y,  detained  us  a  whole 
da}-,  in  order  to  hiwc  an  opportunity  of  lajing  their  se^•eral 
complaints  before  our  physician,  at  the  recommendation  of  Van- 
ta-gin,  who  had  felt  the  good  effects  of  his  practice.  Here,  for 
once  we  had  an  instance  of  Chinese  pride  giving  way  to  self- 
interest,  and  usurped  superiority  condescending  to  ask  advice 
of  barbarians.  W^e  siiilcd  for  t\\o  da}s  in  oiu-  little  barges, 
through  one  of  the  most  wild,  mountainous,  and  bairen  tracts 
of  country  that  I  ever  beheld,  abounding  more  in  the  sublime 
and  horrible  than  in  the  picturesque  or  the  beautiful.  The  lofty 
.summits  of  the  mountains  seemed  to  touch  each  other  across 
the  ri\'er,  and  at  a  distance  it  appeared  as  if  we  had  to  sail 
tlirough  an  LU'ched  cavern.  The  massy  fragments  that  had  fallen 
down  from  time  to  time,  and  impeded  the  navigation,  Avere 
indications  that  the  passage  was  not  altogether  free  irom  danger. 
Fi^•e  remarkable  points  of  sand-stonc  rock,  rising  in  succession 
above  each  other  with  perpendicular  faces,  seemed  as  if  they 
had  been  hewn  out  of  one  solid  mountain  :  they  ^^■ere  called 
ou-ma-too,  or  the  {ixG  horses'  heads.  The  mountains  at  a  dis- 
tance, on  each  side  of  the  river,  were  co\^ered  with  pines,  the 
nearer  hills  with  coppice-  .vood,  in  which  the  Camellia  pre- 
vailed ;  and  in  the  little  glens  were  clusters  of  fishermen's 
huts,  surrounded  by  small  plantations  of  tobacco. 

Within  the  defile  of  tliese  wild  mountains  we  observed  se- 
veral extensiAC  collieries,  which  were  adxantageously  AVorked 
by  driving  levels  from  the  ri\er  into  their  sides.  The  coals 
iDrought  out  of  the  horizontal  adits  were  immediatel}'  low  ered 
from  a  pier  into  vessels  that  were  ready  to  receiAC  and  trans- 
port them  to  the  potteries  of  this  province,  and  of  Kiang-see. 
Coal  is  little  used  in  its  raw  state,  but  is  first  charred  in  large 
pits  that  are  dug  in  the  gi'ound.  Coal  dust,  mixed  with  eaith, 
and  formed  into  square  blocks,  is  frequently  used  to  heat  their 
little  stOA'cs,  on  which  they  boil  their  rice. 

At  the  cit\^  of  Tchao-tchoo-foo,  where  we  aiTived  on  the  13th, 
we  exchanged  our  flat-bottomed  boats  for  large  and  commo- 
dious yachts,  the  mxr  being  here  much  increased  by  the  con- 


404  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

fluence  of  another  stream.  The  boats  before  this  city  were 
mostl}'^  managed  by  young  girls,  whose  dress  consisted  of  a 
neat  \\hite  jacket  and  petticoat  and  a  gipsey  straw  hat.  Having 
for  so  great  a  length  of  time  scarcely  ever  set  our  eyes  upon  a 
female,  except  the  heads  of  some  at  a  distance  peeping  from  be- 
hind the  mud  Avails  that  suiTOund  the  houses,  or  labouring  in 
the  grounds  of  Kiang-see,  the  ferry-girls,  though  in  reality  very 
plain  and  coarse-featured,  Avere  considered  as  the  most  beau- 
tiful objects  that  had  occurcd  in  the  A\'hdie  journey.  To  the 
occupation  of  feiiying  passengers  over  the  river,  it  seemed,  they 
added  another,  not  quite  so  honourable,  for  \\hich,  hoA\e\'er, 
they  had  not  only  the  consent  and  approbation  of  their  parents, 
but  also  the  sanction  of  the  government,  or  perhaps,  to  speak 
more  correctly,  of  the  governing  magistrates,  given  in  consi- 
deration of  their  receivuig  a  portion  of  the  wages  of  prostitu- 
tion. 

In  this  mountainous  district  a  few  fishermen's  huts  and  those 
of  the  colliers  AAere  the  only  habitations  that  occurred ;  but  the 
defect  of  population  was  abundantly  supplied  by  the  number 
of  wooded  d^vellings  that  Avere  floating  on  the  river.  Small 
huts,  to  the  number  of  thirt}"  or  fort}-,  were  sometimes  erected 
upon  a  single  floating  raft  of  fir-baulks,  lashed  together  by  the 
ends  and  the  sides.  On  these  rafts  the  people  cairy  on  their 
trade  or  occupation,  paiticularly  such  as  work  in  A\-ood. 

Our  conductors  directed  the  }-achts  to  halt  before  a  detached 
rock,  rising  with  a  perpendicular  front  from  the  margin  of  the 
river  to  the  height  of  seven  hundred  feet.  In  this  front  we  ob- 
served a  cavern,  before  which  A\as  a  terrace  that  had  been  cut 
out  of  the  rock,  accessible  by  a  flight  of  steps  from  the  river. 
Proceeding  from  the  terrace  into  the  cavity  of  the  rock,  we  as- 
cended another  flight  of  stairs,  also  cut  out  of  solid  stone,  which 
led  into  a  very  spacious  apartment.  In  the  centre  of  this  apart- 
ment sat  the  goddess  Poo-sa  upon  a  kind  of  altar,  constituting 
a  part  of  the  rock,  and  he\\'n  into  the  shape  of  the  Lien-wha  or 
Nelumbium.  A  small  opening,  next  the  river,  admitted  a 
*'  dim  religious  light,"  suitable  to  the  solemnity  of  the  place, 
which  we  we  were  told  was  a  temple  consecrated  to  Poo-sa,  and 
a  monasteiy  for  the  residence  of  a  fc^v  superannuated  priests. 
On  the  smooth  sides  of  the  apartment  ^^^as  inscribed  a  multi- 
tude of  Chinese  verses,  some  cut  into  the  rock,  and  others 
painted  upon  it.  The  lodgings  of  the  priests  were  small  caves 
branching  out  of  the  large  temple.     A  third  flight  of  steps  led 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  405 

froni  this  to  a  second  stor}*,  wliicli  \\as  also  lighted  by  a  small 
aperture  in  front,  that  Avas  nearly  choakcd  up  by  an  inimense 
mass  of  stalectite  that  had  been  formed,  and  was  still  increasing, 
by  the  constant  oozinj^  of  water  holding  in  solution  calcare- 
ous matter,  and  suspended  from  a  projection  of  tlic  upper  part 
of  the  rock.  But  the  light  was  suflicient  to  discover  a  gigantic 
image  ^ith  a  Saracen  face,  \vho  "  grinn'd  horribly  a  ghastly 
"  smile."  On  his  head  was  a  sort  of  crown,  in  one  hand  he 
lield  a  naked  scimitar,  and  a  firebrand  in  the  other ;  iDut  the 
liistory  of  this  colossal  divinity  seemed  to  be  imperfectly 
knoAVTJ,  even  to  the  ^■otarics  of  Poo-sa  ihemseh'cs.  He  had,  in 
allf  probability,  been  a  wairior  in  his  day  ;  the  Theseus  or  the 
Hercules  of  China.  The  cave  of  the  Cumaian  Sib}l  could  not 
be  better  suited  for  dealing  out  the  mysterious  decrees  of  fate 
to  the  superstitious  multitude  than  that  of  the  Quan-gin-shan, 
from  whence  the  oracle  of  future  destin}-,  in  like  manner, 

"  Horrenclis  canit  ambages,  antroque  remrigit, 
♦*  Obscuris  vera  involvens." 

"  The  wond'rous  truths,  involv'din  rlildlcs,  g'avc, 
"  And  fiu-ious  bcllow'd  round  tlie  gloomy  cave." 

Lord  Macartney  observed  that  this  singular  temple  brought 
to  his  recollection  a  Franciscan  monastery  lie  had  seen  in 
Portugal,  near  Cape  Roxent,  usually  called  the  Cork  Con\cnt, 
"  ^\hich  is  an  excavation  of  considerable  extent  under  a  hill, 
"  divided  into  a  great  number  of  cells,  and  fitted  up  ^ith  a 
"  church,  sacristy,  rcfecton-,  and  e\-ery  requisite  apartmerit 
"  for  the  accommodation  of  the^  miserable  Cordeliers  A\ho 
*'  burrow  in  it.  The  inside  is  entirely  lined  \\ith  cork  ;  the 
*'  Avails,  the  roofs,  the  floors,  are  covered  Mith  cork ;  the 
"  tables,  seats,  chairs,  beds,  couches,  the  furniture  of  the 
"  chapel,  the  crucifixes,  and  e^'cry  other  implement,  arc  all 
"  made  of  cork.  The  place  was  certainly  dismal  and  com- 
"  fortless  to  a  great  degree,  but  it  \a anted' the  gigantic  form, 
"  the  grim  features,  the  terrific  aspect,  Mhich  distinguish  the 
"  temple  of  Poo-sa,  in  the  rock  of  Quan-gin-shan!"  Dis- 
mal  as  this  gloomy  den  appeared  to  be,  where  a  few  misera- 
ble beings  had  Aoluntai-ily  chained  themsehes  to  a  rock,  to 
beknawed  by  the  vultures  of  superstition  and  fanaticism,  it  is 
still  less  so  than  an  apartment  of  the  Franciscan  con\'ent  in 
Madeira,  the  A\alls  of  A\hich  are  entirely  co\ered  \^id^.  human 


409  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

skulls,  and  the  bones  of  legs  and  arms,  placed  alternately  in 
horizontal  rov.s.  A  dirty  lamp,  siispeiided  from  the  ceiling, 
and  constantly  attended  by  an  old  bald-headed  friar  of  the 
order,  to  keep  the  feeble  light  just  glimmering  in  the  socket, 
serves  to  she^^^  indistinctly  to  strangers  tliis  disgusting  me- 
mento mori.  It  would  be  difficult  to  determine  \\^hich  of  tlie 
three  were  the  most  useless  members  of  society,  the  monks 
of  Poo-sa,  the  monks  of  the  Cork  Con\ent,  or  the  monks 
of  Golgotha. 

In  several  places  among  the  wild  and  romantic  mountains 
through  which  we  were  ciuTied  on  this  river,  we  noticed  quar- 
ries of  great  extent,  out  of  which  huge  stones  had  been  cut 
for  sepulchral  monuments,  for  the  arches  of  bridges,  for 
architraves,  for  paving  the  streets,  and  for  various  other  uses. 
To  obtain  these  lai-ge  masses,  the  saw  is  applied  at  the  upper 
suiface,  and  they  v.'ork  do^vn  vertically  to  the  length  required. 
Each  stone  is  shaped  and  fcshioned  to  the  size  that  may  be 
^\anted,  before  it  is  removed  from  the  parent  rock  ;  by  \\ hich 
much  difficulty  is  avoided,  and  less  power  is  required  in  con- 
veying it  to  its  destination.  Rude  misshapen  blocks,  requiring 
additional  labour  for  their  removal,  are  never  detached  from 
the  rock  in  such  a  state.  In  this  respect  they  aie  more  provi- 
dent than  the  late  empress  of  Russia,  vvdio,  at  an  immense 
expense,  and  with  the  aid  of  complicated  machinery,  caused 
a  block  of  stone  to  be  brought  to  her  capital,  to  serve  as  a 
pedestal  for  the  statue  of  the  Czar  Peter,  ^-ihere  it  \^'as  found 
expedient  to  reduce  it  to  t^\o-thirds  of  its  original  dimen- 
sions. 

Between  the  city  of  Canton  and  the  first  pagoda  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  there  is  a  continued  series  of  similar  quar- 
ries, ^^'hich  appear  not  to  have  been  worked  for  many  years. 
The  regular  and  formal  manner  in  which  the  stones  have  been 
cut  away,  exhibiting  lengthened  streets  of  houses  \\  ith  qua- 
drangular chambers,  in  the  sides  of  which  are  square  holes 
at  equal  distances,  as  if  intended  for  the  reception  of  beams ; 
the  smoothness  and  perfect  perpendicularity  of  the  sides,  and 
the  nimiber  of  detached  pillars  that  are  scattered  over  the  plain, 
would  justify  a  similar  mistake  to  that  of  Mr.  Addison's 
Doctor  of  one  of  the  German  universities,  whom  he  found, 
at  Chateau  d'Un  in  France,  carefully  measuring  the  free-stone 
quan-ies  at  that  place,  which  he  had  conceived  to  be  the  venera- 
ble remains  of  vast  subterranean  palaces  of  great  antiquity. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  4tT 

Almost  all  the  mountains  that  occuiTcd  in  our  passage 
through  China  were  of  primasN'al  gi-auiic,  some  few  of  sand- 
stone, and  the  infericH'  hills  were  generally  of  lime-stone,  or 
coarse  gi'ey  marble.  Except  die  Ladrone  islands  on  the 
south,  and  some  of  the  Chu-san  isUmds  on  the  east,  we  ob- 
served no  api^CLU'ances  in  the  whole  country  of  volciuiic  pro- 
ductions. The  high  mountains,  indeed,  that  form  gicat 
continental  chahis,  are  seldom,  if  ever,  of  \olcanic  formation. 
The  presence  of  a  vast  volume  of  water  seems  to  be  indis- 
pensibly  necessiu'y  to  caiTy  on  this  operation  of  nature ;  and, 
accordingly,  we  find  that  volcanic  mountains  ai'c  generally 
close  to  the  sea-coast,  or  entirely  insulated.  Thus,  although 
a  great  part  of  the  islands  on  the  coast  of  China  are  ^"olcanic, 
we  met  with  no  trace  of  subterranean  heat,  either  in  volcanic 
products  or  Aermal  springs,  on  the  whole  continent.  Yet 
cai'dKjuakes  are  said  to  have  been  frequently  felt  in  all  die 
provinces,  but  slight  and  of  short  duration. 

About  seven  miles  to  tlie  southward  of  the  temple  in  die 
rock,  the  mountains  abruptly  ceased,  and  we  entered  on  a 
wide  extended  plain  which,  to  the  south wai'd  and  on  each 
^ide,  was  terminated  only  by  the  horizon.  This  sudden 
transition  from  baiTenness  to  fertility,  from  the  sublime  to 
the  beautiful,  from  iiTCgularity  to  uniibnuity,  could  not  fail 
to  please,  as  all  strong  contrasts  usually  do.  The  country 
was  now  in  a  high  state  of  tiihige :  the  chief  products  were 
rice,  sugar-canes,  and  tobacco  ;  and  the  river  was  so  much 
augmented  by  the  ti-ibutary  streams  of  the  mountains,  which 
we  had  just  left  behind,  that  it  was  nearly  half  a  mile  in  widtli. 
Canals  branched  from  its  two  banks  in  e\'ery  direction.  At 
the  city  of  San-shwee-shien,  we  obseiTcd  the  current  of  the 
ri's'er  receding,  being  dri\en  back  by  the  flux  of  the  tide. 

On  the  10th  we  halted  before  a  village  which  was  just 
within  sight  of  the  suburbs  of  Canton.  Here  the  embassa- 
dor was  met  by  the  commissioners  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany, whom  tlie  Chinese  had  allowed  to  proceed  thus  far 
from  the  factoiy,  and  to  ^\•hich  place  the  servants  of  the  com- 
pany are  occasionally  permitted  to  malce  their  parties  of  pl^'d- 
sure.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  diis  village  are  extcnsiAC 
gardens  for  the  supply  of  the  city  with  \'egetables.  In  some 
we  obsei-ved  nurseries  for  propagatiiig  the  rai'c,  the  beautiful, 
the  curious,  or  die  useful  plants  of  the  countr\-,  which  are 
sent  to  Ciuitoa  for  scde.     On  diis  account  wc  were  not  sorry 


408  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

to  be  obliged  to  spend  the  remainder  of  the  day  at  this  place. 
Among  the  choice  plants  wt  noticed  the  large  peonia  before 
mentioned,  ^hitc,  red,  and  variegated  ;  the  elegant  limodo- 
rum  tankervillire,  and  that  singular  plant  tlie  epidendrum  fios 
aeris,  so  called  from  its  vegetating  without  the  assistance  of 
eartli  or  A\'ater ;  the  h}biscus mutabilis,  the abelmoschus,  and 
other  species  of  this  genus  ;  the  double  variegated  Camellia 
Japonica ;  the  great  holly-hock ;  the  scarlet  amarimthus  and 
another  species  of  the  same  genus,  and  a  very  elegant  celosia 
or  cock's-comb  ;  the  nereum  oleander,  sometimes  called  the 
Ceylon  rose,  and  the  yu-lan,  a  species  of  magnolia,  the 
flowers  of  which  appear  before  the  leaves  burst  from  the 
buds.  Of  tlie  scented  plants  the  plumeria  and  a  double 
}lG\\'ej-ing  jasmine  A\ere  the  most  esteemed.  We  observed 
also  in  pots  the  ocymum  or  sweet  Basil,  clorantiius  inconspi- 
cuus,  called  chu-ian,  whose  leaves  are  sometimes  mixed  with 
those  of  tea  to  give  them  a  peculiar  flavour ;  the  olea  fragrans, 
or  sweet-scented  olive,  said  also  be  used  for  the  same  pur- 
pose ;  a  species  of  myrtle  ;  the  much  esteemed  rosa  sinica ; 
the  tuberose ;  the  strong  scented  gardenia  fiorida,  improperly 
called  the  cape  jasmine ;  the  China-pink  and  several  others, 
to  enumerate  which  would  exceed  tlie  limits  of  this  work. 

Of  fruits  we  noticed  a  variety  of  figs,  and  three  species  of 
mulbenies  ;  peaches  and  almonds  ;  the  annona  or  custai'd  ap- 
ple ;  the  eugenia  jambos,  or  rose-apple ;  the  much  esteemed 
lee-tchee  or  sapindus-edulis ;  and  the  kselreuteria,  another 
species  of  the  same  genus ;  the  averhoa  carambola,  an  excel- 
lent fruit  for  tarts ;  and  the  ou-long-shoo,  the  sterculia  plata- 
nifolia.  Besides  these  were  abundance  of  oranges  and  bana- 
nas. 

As  vegetables  for  the  table,  was  a  great  variety  of  beans  and 
calavances,  among  which  was  the  dolichos  soja,  or  soy  plant, 
and  the  polystachios,  with  its  large  clusters  of  beautiful  scai*- 
let  flo\\ers ;  the  cytisus  cajan  whose  seed  yields  the  famous 
bean-milk,  which  it  is  the  custom  of  the  emperor  to  offer  to 
embassadors  on  their  presentation;  large  mild  radishes,  onions, 
gai:lick,  capsicum  or  Cayenne  pepper ;  convolvulus  batatas, 
or  sweet  potatoes ;  t^vo  species  of  tobacco ;  amomum,  or 
ginger,  in  gi'eat  quantities,  the  root  of  which  they  preser\'e 
in  syrup ;  sinapis,  or  mustard,  and  the  brassica  oricntalis, 
from  "^^'hich  an  oil  is  expressed  for  the  t\ble. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  409 

Of  plants  that  were  useful  in  the  arts,  we  observed  the 
rhus  vemix,  or  varnish-tree,  and  t^\"o  other  species  of  the 
same  genus  ;  curcuma,  or  timneric ;  carthamus  used  as  a  dye, 
and  the  polygonum  Chinense  for  the  same  puqiose ;  the  rha- 
pis  flabelliformis,  the  dried  leaA'cs  of  \\ hich  aie  used  for  fans 
among  the  common  people,  and  particulai'ly  by  those  who  li\'e 
in  vessels ;  corchorus,  whose  bai'k,  in  India,  is  used  as  flax ; 
but  not,  I  believe,  to  any  extent  in  China,  the  wliite  nettle 
being  iiere  preferred.  The  only  medicinal  plants  WQie  the 
rheum  palmatum,  artemisia,  and  the  smilax  or  China  root. 

To  make  our  entire  into  Canton  the  more  splendid,  a  num- 
ber of  superb  barges  ^vere  sent  to  meet  us,  canying  flags  and 
streamers  and  umbrellas  and  other  insignia  of  office  ;  and  in 
some  were  bands  of  music.  About  the  middle  of  the  day 
we  arrived  before  the  factories,  which  constitute  a  line  of 
buildings  in  the  European  style,  extending  along  the  left 
bank  of  the  river,  \\here  the  embassador  \\as  receiA ed  by  the 
song-too,  or  viceroy,  the  governor,  the  ho-poo,  or  collector 
of  the  customs,  and  all  the  principal  officers  of  the  gOAcrn- 
ment.  Fiom  hence  we  were  conducted  to  tlie  opposite  side 
of  the  ri\'er,  where  a  temporary  building  of  poles  and  mats 
had  been  prepai'ed  for  the  occasion  ;  ^vithin  which  wns  a 
screen  of  yellow  silk  bearing  die  name  of  the  emperor  in  gilt 
characters.  Before  diis  screen  the  viceroy  and  other  officers 
performed  the  usual  prostrations,  in  token  of  gratitude  to  his 
imperial  majesty,  for  his  having  vouchsafed  us  a  prosperous 
journey. 

It  is  but  doing  justice  to  the  Chinese  government  and  to  the 
individuals  in  its  employ,  who  had  any  concern  in  the  affairs 
of  the  cmbass}%  to  observe  that  as  far  as  regarded  ourseh'es, 
their  conduct  \\as  uniformly  marked  by  liberality,  attention,  and 
an  earnest  desire  to  please.  Nor  is  there  any  vanitj^  in  sa}'ing 
that,  after  obser\ing  us  closely  in  the  course  of  a  long  journey 
and  daily  intercourse,  the  officers  of  government  gi-adually  dis- 
missed the  prejudices  imbibed  against  us,  as  foreigners,  from 
their  earliest  }'oudi.  Gained  by  our  frank  and  open  manners, 
and  by  little  attentions,  thev  seemed  to  fl}*  with  pleasure  to  our 
society,  as  a  relief  from  the  tedious  formalities  they  were 
obliged  to  assume  in  their  ofl&cial  capacity.  Van  and  Chou  con- 
stanth'  passed  the  c  \  enings  in  some  of  our  }'achts.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  s]ienk  of  th.osc  two  worthy  men  in  terms  equal  to  their 
ik'.\crt    Kind,  condescend  in  e;,  unremitting  in  their  attentions, 

"3  F 


410  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

they  never  betrayed  one  moment  of  ill  humour  from  the  time 
we  entered  China  till  the)-  took  their  final  leave  at  Canton. 
These  two  men  were  capable  of  real  attachments.  They  insisted 
on  accompanying  the  embassador  on  board  the  Lion,  wher« 
they  took  their  last  farewel.  At  pairing  they  burst  into  tears, 
and  shewed  the  strongest  marks  of  sensibility  and  concern. 
Their  feelings  quite  overcame  them,  and  they  left  the  Lion  sor- 
rowful and  dejected.  Early  the  following  morniiig  tliey  sent 
on  board  twenty  baskets  of  fruits  and  vegetables,  as  a  farewel 
token  of  their  remembrance.  We  had  the  satisfaction  to  hear 
tliat  immediately  on  their  aiTi\  al  at  Pekin  they  both  were  pro- 
moted. Chou  is  at  present  in  a  high  situation  at  court,  but 
Van,  the  cheerful  good-humoured  Van,  has  paid  tlie  debt  of 
nature  ;  having  fallen  honourably  in  the  service  of  his  country. 
On  the  conduct  of  Lee,  our  Chinese  interpreter,  any  praise  that 
I  could  bcsto^v  A\ould  be  far  inadequate  to  his  merit.  Fully 
sensible  of  liis  perilous  situation,  he  never  at  any  one  time 
shrunk  from  his  duty.  At  Macao  he  took  an  aifectionate  leave 
of  his  English  friends,  \\  ith  whom,  though  placed  in  one  of 
the  remotest  provinces  of  the  empire,  he  still  contrives  to  cor- 
respond. The  embassador,  lord  Macartney,  has  had  several 
letters  from  him;  the  last  of  which  is  of  so  late  a  date  as  March 
1802  ;  so  that  his  sensibility  has  not  been  diminished  either 
by  time  or  distance. 

It  is  the  custom  of  China  to  consider  all  embassadors  as 
guests  of  the  emperor,  from  the  moment  they  enter  any  part  of 
his  dominions,  until  they  ai^e  again  entirely  out  of  them.  The 
inconvenience  of  this  custom  was  severely  felt  by  us,  as  it  pre- 
vented us  from  purchasing,  in  an  open  manner,  many  trifling 
articles  that  ^vould  ha\^e  been  acceptable.  The  ver}'  consider- 
able expense,  incun-ed  by  the  court  on  this  account,  may  be 
one  reason  for  prescribing  the  limited  time  of  forty  days  for  all 
embassadors  to  remain  at  the  capital.  To  meet  the  expenses 
of  the  present  embassy,  Van-ta-gin  assured  me  that  they  \vere 
furnished  M'ith  an  order  to  dra^\"  on  the  public  treasuries  of  the 
different  provinces  through  ^^■hich  v.e  liad  to  pass,  to  the  amount 
of  five  thousand  ounces  of  siher  a-day,  or  about  one  thousand 
six  hundred  pounds  sterling :  and  that  fifteen  hundred  ounces 
a-day  had  been  issued  out  of  the  treasury  at  Pekin  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  embassy  during  its  continuance  there.  Supposing, 
then,  these  data  to  be  correct,  and  I  see  no  reason  for  calling 
their  authenticity  in  question,  vvc  may  form  an  estimate  of  the 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  411 

whole  expense  of  tliis  embass}-  to  the  Chinese  government. 
From  the  6th  of  August  (the  da}-  wc  entered 

the  Pei-ho)  to  the  21st  (when  we  anived  Oz. 

in  Pekin)  inclusive         -  -  -      IG  days,    80,000 

From  the  22d  August  to  the  6th  October  (in 

Pekin  and  in  Gehol)  -  -  -  46  days,  69,000 
Fromtlie  7th  October  to  the  19th  December 

(when  we  arrived  at  Canton)       -         -      74\lays,  370,000 

Total  ounces  of  silver     5 1 9,000 

Or  one  hundred  and  se-senty-three  thousand  pounds  sterling ; 
three  Chinese  ounces  being  equal  to  one  pound  sterling. 

It  is  haixUy  possible  diat  this  enormous  sum  of  money  could 
liave  been  expended  on  account  of  the  embassy,  though  I  ha\c 
no  doubt  of  its  having  been  issued  out  of  the  imperial  trea- 
sury for  that  purpose.  One  of  the  missionai'ies  informed  mc, 
in  Pekin,  that  tlie  gazette  of  that  capital  contained  an  aiticlc 
stating  the  liberality  of  the  emperor  towards  the  English  em- 
bassador, in  his  having  directed  no  less  a  sum  than  fifteen  hun- 
dred ounces  of  silver  to  be  applied  for  the  daily  expenses  of 
the  embass)",  while  stationaiy  hi  the  capital  and  at  Gehol.  The 
same  gendeman  made  an  obscr\'ation,  that  the  great  officers  of 
go\ ernmcnt,  as  "v\ell  as  those  \\ ho  had  the  good  luck  to  be  aj)- 
pointed  to  manage  the  concenis  of  a  foreign  embassy,  consi- 
dered it  as  one  of  the  best  wind-falls  in  the  emperor's  gift,  the 
difference  between  the  allow  anccs  and  the  actual  expenditure 
being  equivalent  to  a  little  fortune. 

Van-ta-gin,  indeed,  explained  to  usthat,  although  the  impe- 
rial warrant  was  signed  for  those  sums,  yet  that,  ha\'ing  a  num- 
ber of  offices  to  pass  through,  in  all  of  w  hich  it  diminished  a 
little,  the  whole  of  it  ^^•as  not  actually  expended  on  the  embassy. 
He  gave  to  the  embassador  an  excellent  illustration  of  the  man- 
ner  in  which  the  imperial  bounty  was  sometimes  applied.  An 
inundation  had  swept  aA\ay,  the  preceding  w  inter,  a  \\ hole  vil- 
lage in  the  province  of  Shan-tung,  so  suddenly,  that  tlie  inha- 
bitants could  save  nothing  but  their  lives.  The  emperor  hav- 
ing once  lodged  at  the  place,  immediately  ordered  100,000 
ounces  ofsih-er  for  their  relief,  ^ut  of  which  the  first  officer  of 
the  treasury  took  20,000,  the  second  10,000,  the  third  5,000, 
and  so  on,  till  at  last  there  remained  only  20,000  for  the  poor 
siiftcrcrs.     So  that  the  boasted  morality  of  China  is  prettj- 


412  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

much  the  same,  when  reduced  to  practice,  as  that  of  other 
countries. 

The  real  expense,  however,  of  the  British  embassy,  could 
not  have  been  a  trifle,  ^vhen  we  consider  w^hat  a  vast  multitude 
of  men,  horses,  and  vessels  were  constantly  employed  on  tlie 
occasion.  Van-ta-gin  assured  me  that  there  were  seldom  fewer 
than  one  thousand  men,  and  frequently  many  more,  employed 
one  way  or  other  in  its  service  ;  and  I  am  persuaded  he  did  not 
intend  to  exaggerate.  In  the  first  place,  from  the  moutli  of  the 
Pev-ho  to  Tong-tchoo,  we  had  forty-one  yachts  or  barges,  each 
on  an  average,  including  boatmen,  trackers,  and  soldiers,  hav- 
ing on  board  fifteen  men :  this  gives  six  hundred  and  fifteen 
men  to  the  boats  onl}\  Caterers  running  about  the  country  to 
coiiect  provisions,  boatmen  to  bring  them  to  the  several  barges, 
fi.e  conducting  officers,  and  their  numerous  retinue,  are  not 
^acluded  in  diis  estimate.  From  Tong-tchoo  near  three  thou- 
sand men  were  employed  to  carry  the  presents  and  baggage, 
iirst  to  Hung-ya-yuen,  beyond  Pekin,  and  then  back  again  to 
tile  cap'.cai,  which  took  them  three  days.  In  our  return  from 
Tong-ichoo  to  Hang-tchoo-foo,  we  had  a  fleet  of  thirty  vessels, 
v/;th  ten  men  at  least,  and,  for  the  greatest  part  of  the  journey, 
tvv  eii'ry  additional  trackers  to  each  vessel ;  this  gives  nine  hun- 
dred people  for  the  yachts  alone. 

From  Hang-tchoo-foo  to  Eu-shan-shien,  and  from  Hang- 
tchoO'fco  to  Chu-san,  there  might  probably  be  employed  about 
forty  vessels,  "with  tweh'e  men  to  each,  or  four  hundred  and 
eiglity  in  die  whole.  And,  besides  the  people  employed  by 
the  officers  of  government  to  purchase  provisions,  numbers 
were  stationed  in  different  parts  of  the  rivers  to  contract  the 
sti'eam,  by  raking  together  the  pebbles  where,  otherwise,  the 
water  ^vould  have  been  too  shallow  for  the  boats  to  pass  ;  and 
others  to  attend  at  all  the  sluices  on  the  canals,  to  assist  the  ves- 
sels in  getting  through  the  same. 

From  Tchang-shan-shien  to  Eu-shan-shien,  overland,  we 
had  about  forty  horses,  and  three  or  four  hundred  men  to  carry 
the  ba£re:a2:e. 

From  the  Po-yang  lake,  to  Canton,  we  had  generally  about 
twenty-six  vessels,  with  twenty  men  to  each,  including  boat- 
men, soldiers,  and  trackers,  which  gives  five  hundred  and 
twenty  men  for  these  alone. 

The  embassy  consisted  of  near  one  hundred  persons ;  but 
l^s  for  the  several  officers,  and  their  numerous  retinue  of  guards, 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  413 

attendants,  and  runners,  I  have  not  the  least  idea  to  w  hat  their 
numbers  might  amount;  all  of  whom,  being  on  extraordinary 
service,  were  supported  at  the  public  expense. 

The  whole  expense  of  the  embassy  to  this  countr}-,  includ- 
ing the  presents,  did  not  exceed  eighty  thousand  pounds ;  an 
inconsiderable  sum  for  such  a  nation  as  Great  Britain  on  such 
an  occasion,  and  not  more  than  a  fourth  pait  of  ^\"hat  has  been 
generally  imagined. 

Although  the  British  factor}-  \\as  in  CAcry  sense  more  com- 
fortable thiui  the  most  splendid  palace  that  the  countiy  aftbrded, 
yet  it  was  so  repugnant  to  the  principles  of  the  government, 
for  an  embassador  to  take  uj)  his  abode  in  the  same  duelling 
w  ith  merchants,  that  it  ^^■as  thought  expedient  to  indulge  their 
notions  in  this  respect,  and  to  accept  a  large  house  in  the  midst 
of  a  garden,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  a\ hich  Mas  fitted 
up  and  furnished  with  beds  in  the  European  manner,  with 
glazed  sash  A\indo\\s,  and  \a ith  fire  grates  suitable  for  burning 
coals.  On  our  anival  here  we  found  a  company  of  comedians 
hard  at  work,  in  the  middle  of  a  piece,  \\hich  it  seemed  had 
begun  at  sun-rise;  but  their  squalling  and  their  shrill  and 
harsh  music  were  so  dreadful,  that  the}  ^^•ere  prevailed  upon, 
with  diificulty,  to  break  oft' during  dinner,  \\hich  was  served 
up  in  a  -v'iranda,  directly  opposite  the  thaitre. 

Next  morning,  ho^^■ever,  about  sun-rise,  they  set  to  work 
afresh,  but  at  the  particular  request  of  the  embassador,  in 
which  he  M-as  joined  b}-  the  A\"hole  suite,  they  were  dischai'ged, 
to  the  no  small  astonishment  of  oiu"  Chinese  conductors,  who 
concluded,  from  diis  circumstance,  that  the  English  had  very 
little  taste  for  elegant  amusements.  Pla}-ers,  it  seems,  are  here 
liired  by  the  day ;  and  the  more  incessantly  the}'  labour,  the 
more  they  ai'e  applauded.  They  are  always  ready  to  begin 
any  one  piece  out  of  a  list  of  twent}-  or  thirty,  that  is  presented 
for  the  principal  \'isitor  to  make  his  choice. 

The  nature  of  tlie  trade  carried  on  by  foreign  nations  at  the 
port  of  Canton  is  so  well  known,  that  it  Mould  be  supei-fluous 
for  me  to  dA\ell  on  that  subject.  The  complaints  of  all  nations 
against  the  extortions  practised  there  have  been  loudly  and  fre- 
quendy  heard  in  Europe ;  but  the  steps  that  have  hitherto  been 
tiiken  ha\e  proved  unavailing.  The  common  ansM er  is,  "  Wh)'- 
"  do  you  come  here?  We  take  in  exckmge  your  articles  of 
"  produce  and  manufacture,  A\hich  we  really  have  no  occasion 
"  for,  and  give  you  in  return  cm-  precious  tea,  ^hich  natiuv 


4U  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

**  has  denied  to  your  country ;  and  3'et  you  are  not  satisfied. 
*'  Why  do  you  so  often  \isit  a  countr}%  whose  customs  you 
'^  dishke  ?  We  do  not  in\  ite }  ou  to  come  among  us ;  but  Avheii 
*'  you  do  come,  and  bcha\c  ^^'ell,  avc  treat  you  accordingly. 
♦'  Respect  then  our  hospitdity,  but  don't  pretend  to  regulate 
"  or  reform  it."  Such  is  the  language  held  to  Europeans  by 
all  the  petty  officers  of  go\"cniment,  with  ^vhom  they  have  to 
deal. 

With  such  sentiments  one  cannot  be  suiprised  that  foreign 
merchants  should  be  received  with  indifi'erence,  if  not  handled 
with  rudeness,  and  that  the  fair  trader  should  be  liable  to  ex- 
tortions. This  is  still  more  likely  to  happen  from  the  complete 
monopoly  of  iill  foreign  trade  being  consigned  to  a  limited  num- 
ber of  merchants,  seldom,  I  believe,  exceeding  eight,  who  are 
sanctioned  by  government.  The  cargoes  of  tin,  lead,  cotton, 
opium,  and  large  sums  of  Spanish  dollars,  sent  to  Canton  from 
Europe,  India,  and  America,  all  pass  through  the  hands  of 
these  Hong  merchants,  Vvho  also  fiirnish  the  return  cargoes. 
As  the  capital  employed  is  far  beyond  ai:iy  thing  of  the  kind 
we  can  conceive  in  Europe  by  so  few  individuals,  their  profits 
must  be  proportionally  great,  or  they  could  not  be  able  to  bear 
the  expense  of  the  numerous  and  magnificent  presents  which 
the}"  are  expected  to  make  to  the  superior  officers  of  govern- 
ment at  Canton,  who,  in  their  turn,  find  it  expedient  to  divide 
these  with  the  emperor  and  his  ministers  in  the  capital.  The 
•N^arious  toys,  automatons,  moving  and  musical  figures  from 
Coxe's  museum,  the  mathematical  and  astronomical  instru- 
ments, clocks,  v/atches,  machinery,  jewellery,  all  made  in 
London,  and  now  in  the  diffi:rent  palaces  of  the  emperor  of 
China,  are  said  to  be  valued  at  no  less  a  sum  than  two  millions 
sterling,  all  presents  from  Canton.  The  principal  officers  of 
this  government  ai'c  invariably  sent  doAni  from  Pekin ;  they 
arrive  poor,  and,  in  the  course  of  three  years,  return  with  im- 
mense riches.  How  much  of  the  enormous  "\\ealth  of  Ho- 
tchung-tang  came  from  the  same  quarter  it  is  difficult  to  say ; 
but  the  great  influence  he  possessed  over  the  emperor,  and  his 
intimacy  with  the  viceroy  of  Canton,  who  was  superseded  in 
1795,  leave  no  doubt,  that  a  veiy  considerable  part  of  it  was 
drawn  from  this  port.  The  large  pearl,  va  hich  forms  one  of  the 
charges  preferred  against  him,  wds  a  present  from  Canton,  of 
which  I  have  been  told  a  curious  histor}',  by  a  gentleman  -w  ho 
-was  on  the  spot  at  the  time  it  happened.    An  Armenian  mer- 


.  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  415 

chant  brought  this  pearl  to  Canton,  in  the  expectation  of  making 
his  fortune.  Its  size  and  beauty  soon  became  knowii,  and  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  officers  and  the  merchants,  ^vho 
paid  tlieir  daily  visits  to  the  Armenian,  offering  liim  prices  iiir 
inadequate  to  its  value.  At  length,  liowevcr,  after  minute  and 
repeated  examinations,  a  price  was  agreed  upon  and  a  deposit 
made,  but  the  Armenian  \\as  to  keep  possession  of  the  pearl 
till  the  remaining  part  of  the  purchase-money  should  be  ready ; 
and,  in  order  to  obviate  any  possil)ility  of  trick,  the  box  in 
which  it  was  kept  was  sealed  with  the  purchaser's  seal.  Se- 
veral days  elapsed  without  his  hearing  any  thing  further  from 
tlie  Chinese ;  and,  at  length,  the  time  aj^proached  when  ail 
foreign  merchants  are  ordered  down  to  Macao.  The  Amic- 
nian,  in  vain,  endeavoured  to  find  out  the  people  A\'ho  had  pur- 
chased his  pcai-1 ;  but  he  contented  himself  with  tlie  reflection 
that,  although  he  had  been  disappointed  in  the  main  object  of 
his  journey,  he  still  had  his  property,  and  that  the  deposit  was 
more  than  sufficient  to  defra}'  his  expenses.  On  reaching  his 
home,  he  had  no  longer  an}'  scruple  in  breaking  open  the  seal ; 
but  his  mortification  may  easily  be  supposed,  on  discovering 
tliat  his  real  pcai'l  had  been  exclianged  for  an  aitificial  one,  so 
ver}'  like  as  not  to  be  detected  but  b}'  the  most  critical  exami- 
nation. The  daily  visits  of  these  people,  it  seems,  were  for  no 
other  purpose  than  to  enable  them  to  forge  an  accurate  imita- 
tion, which  they  had  dexterously  substituted  for  the  real  one, 
when  they  proposed  the  cunning  expedient  of  sealing  the  box 
in  which  it  was  inclosed.  The  Armenians,  howe\'er,  vvere  de- 
termined not  to  be  outdone  by  the  Chinese.  A  noted  cha- 
racter, of  the  name  of  Baboom,  equally  well  known  in  Bengal 
and  Madras  as  in  Canton,  just  before  his  failure  in  about  half 
a  million  sterling,  deposited  a  valuable  casket  of  pearls,  as  he 
represented  them,  in  the  hands  of  one  of  the  Hong  merchants, 
as  a  pledge  for  a  large  sum  of  money,  which,  v/hen  opened, 
instead  of  pearls  was  found  to  be  a  casket  of  peas. 

It  has  always  been  considered  that  a  foreigner  has  little  chance 
of  obtaining  justice  at  Canton.  The  import  and  export  duties, 
which,  b}-  tlie  lav/  of  the  countiy,  ought  to  be  levied  ad  valorem, 
are  ai-bitrarily  fixed,  according  to  the  fancy  of  the  collcctoi-. 
And  although  the  court  is  at  ail  times  rea^dy  to  punish,  by  con- 
fiscation of  their  property,  such  as  have  been  guilty  of  coiTup- 
tion  and  oppression,  yet,  by  accepting  their  presents,  it  seems 
to  lend  them  its  encouragement.     Besides,  the  distance  from 


416  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

Canton  to  the  metropolis  is  so  great,  tlie  temptations  so  strong 
and  the  chances  of  impunity  so  much  in  their  favour,  that 
to  be  honest,  when  power  and  opportunity  lend  their  aid  to 
roguer}^  is  a  virtue  not  within  the  piile  of  Chinese  morality. 
A  striking  instance  of  their  peculation  appeared  in  a  circum- 
stance that  was  connected  with  the  British  embassy.  In  con- 
sideration of  the  Hindostan  ha\  ing  carried  presents  for  tlie 
emperor,  an  order  was  issued  from  court  that  she  should  be 
exempt  from  duties  at  any  of  the  ports  where  she  might  take 
in  a  cargo.  It  happened  that  the  Hong  merchants  had  already 
paid  the  Hindostan's  duties  ^ith  those  of  the  other  ships,  of 
which  her  paiticular  shai'e  was  30,000  ounces  of  silver.  The 
hoo-poo,  or  collector,  was  therefore  requested  to  return  this 
sum,  agreeably  to  the  order  from  court  ;  but  he  refunded  only, 
into  Mr.  Browne's  hands,  14,000  dollai's,  which  can  be 
reckoned  as  little  more  than  11,000  ounces,  observing  that  so 
much  was  the  exact  amount  of  the  emperor's  duties.  As  in 
this  instance,  of  a  public  nature,  the  collector  could  not  be 
supposed  to  act  without  circumspection,  we  may  conclude 
how  \^ery  small  a  proportion  of  the  duties,  extorted  from  fo- 
reigners trading  to  Canton,  finds  its  way  into  the  imperial 
treasur}-. 

Thus  the  taxes,  which,  if  we  may  judge  of  them  from 
those  paid  by  their  own  countrjaiicn,  are  extremely  moderate, 
by  the  abuses  of  the  administration  become  serious  grievances 
to  the  foreign  merchant,  who,  hoA\  e>  er,  has  never  hitherto 
employed  the  only  probable  mean  of  obtaining  redress — 
that  of  making  himself  acquainted  ^vith  the  language  of  the 
countr}',  so  as  to  be  able  to  ifmonstrate  to  the  high  officers  of 
state,  against  the  oppressions  and  impositions  of  those  who 
act  in  inferior  capacities ;  for,  however  rapacious  and  cormpt 
the  first  in  authority  may  be,  his  timid  nature  would  shrink 
immediately  from  a  bold,  clamorous,  and  able  complainant, 
who  possessed  the  means  of  making  his  delinquency  noto- 
rious. This  obsenation  has  been  verified  by  a  recent  occur- 
rence. A  fraudulent  suppression  of  a  bankruptcy,  for  wliich 
the  govenmient  stood  responsible,  and  by  which  the  interests 
of  the  East  India  Company,  as  well  as  of  several  individuals 
in  India  and  Canton,  would  have  materially  suffered,  was 
completely  frustrated  by  the  simple  circumstance  of  Mr. 
Drummond,  the  chief  of  the  factory,  rushing  into  the  city 
of  Canton,  and  repeating  aloud  a  few  >\ ords,  wliich  he  had 


.    TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  417 

got  by  heart,  whilst  at  the  same  time,  he  held  up  a  written 
memorial ;  the  consequence  of  which  was,  that  tlie  memorial 
was  immediately  cairied  to  the  viceroy,  and  the  grievance 
complained  of  therein  redressed.  It  ^vould  have  been  in  vain 
to  convey  it  through  any  of  the  inferior  officers,  or  the  Hong 
merchants,  as  they  were  all  interested  in  keeping  it  from  the 
kno  vlcdge  of  government. 

The  supposed  difficulty  of  acquiring  the  Chinese  language 
has  hitherto  intimidated  the  residents  in  Canton  from  making 
the  attempt.  Satisfied  in  transacting  the  Company's  concerns 
through  the  medium  of  a  jargon  of  broken  English,  \\'hich 
all  the  Hong  merchants,  and  even  the  inferior  ti-adcsmen  and 
mechanics,  find  it  worth  their  while  to  acquire,  they  have 
totally  neglected  the  language,  as  well  as  every  other  branch 
of  information  respecting  the  most  interesting  and  extraordi- 
nary empire  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  The  attainment,  in 
feet,  of  four  or  five  thousand  chai-acters,  which  are  sufficient 
to  write  clearly  and  copiously  on  any  subject,  is  much  less 
difficult  than  usually  has  been  imagined,  but  it  would  require 
great  attention  and  unremitting  perseverance,  such  perhaps 
as  few  arc  willing  to  l)estow,  who  are  placed  in  situations 
which  enable  them  to  calculate,  almost  to  a  certaint}-,  on 
realizing  a  fixed  sum  in  a  given  number  of  years.  The  cli- 
mate may  also  be  adverse  to  intense  application ;  but  if  the 
foundation  ^^•as  laid  in  England,  much  of  the  difficulty  would 
thus  be  ob^■iated.  The  French,  awai'e  of  the  solid  advantages 
that  result  from  the  knowledge  of  languages,  are  at  this  moment 
holding  out  every  encouragement  to  the  study  of  Chinese  litera- 
ture; obviously  not  without  design.  They  know  that  the  Chi- 
nese character  is  understood  from  the  gulf  of  Siam  to  the  Tar- 
tarian Sea,  and  over  a  very  considerable  part  of  the  great  Eastern 
Archipelago ;  that  the  Cochin  Chinese,  with  whom  they  have 
already  firmly  rooted  themselves,  use  no  other  writing  than 
the  pure  Chinese  character,  which  is  also  the  case  with  the 
Japanese.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  therefore,  that  the  British  na- 
tion will  not  neglect  the  means  of  being  able  to  meet  the 
French,  if  necessary,  even  on  this  ground.  The  method  of 
accomplishing  this  desirable  object  appears  to  be  extremely 
simple.  If  tlie  directors  of  the  East  India  Company  ^^Tre 
to  make  it  a  rule  that  no  writer  should  be  appointed  to  China 
until  he  kad  made  himself  acquainted  with  five  hundi'ed  or  a 

3  G 


41 S  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

thousand  characters  of  the  language,*  I  will  be  bold  to  say 
that,  \\  here  the  r.uniber  sent  out  is  so  few  (the  establishment 
not  exceeding  t^^'enty)  and  the  emoluments  so  very  liberal, 
tliere  A\ouId  be  as  little  danger  as  at  present,  by  such  a  regula- 
tion, of  the  appointments  being  made  out  of  their  own  families. 
The  noble  marquis  at  the  head  of  their  affairs  in  India  has 
established  an  institution,  \\  hich  seems  to  bid  fair  for  producing 
a  mutual  benefit  to  the  parent  state  and  the  native  Indians.  The 
exertions  of  Sir  William  Jones  and  a  few  others  had,  indeed, 
long  before  this,  been  productive  of  the  happiest  effects ;  and 
great  numbers,  both  on  the  civil  and  military  establishments 
of  the  company,  made  themselves  acquainted,  in  a  certain  de- 
gree, with  the  different  languages  spoken  in  the  country.  In, 
j^ct,  it  became  a  matter  of  necessity,  in  order  to  remove  pre- 
judices imbibed  against  us,  and  to  meet  those  of  tlie  natives. 
The  Portuguese  and  the  Dutch  adopted  a  different  policy; 
and,  like  our  residents  at  Canton,  communicated  only  \\ith  tJie 
natives  in  a  jargon  of  their  own  languages.  Mr.  Thunberg 
tells  a  story  of  a  Dutch  gentleman,  who  had  resided  as  chief 
of  their  factory  in  Japan  for  fourteen  years,  during  which  pe- 
riod he  had  been  four  times  in  the  capacity  of  embassador  to 
the  court,  yet,  on  being  asked  the  name  of  the  emperor  of  Ja- 
^  pan,  freely  avowed  that  it  had  ntxtr  occurred  to  him  to  ask  it. 
In  fact,  his  grand  object  was  the  accumulation  of  so  many  mil- 
lions of  florins  in  a  given  time ;  in  the  pursuit  of  which  he  had 
completely  lost  sight  of  the  emperor  of  Japan  and  his  millions 
of  subjects. 

If,  then,  by  neglecting  to  study  the  language  of  the  Chinese, 
we  are  silly  enough  to  place  ourseh^es  and  concerns  so  com- 
pletely in  their  poAver,  we  are  highly  deserving  of  the  extortions- 
and  impositions  so  loudly  complained  of.  If  the  trade  of 
London  were  exclusively  vested  in  the  hands  of  eight  mer- 
chants, and  if  the  foreigners  who  visited  its  port  could  neither 
speak  nor  write  one  single  word  of  the  language  of  England, 
but  communicated  solely  on  every  subject  with  those  eight  mer- 

*  There  are  several  good  manuscript  Chinese  dictionaries  in  England ; 
one  of  v/hich  is  under  publication  by  doctor  INIontucci  ;  who,  I  under- 
stand from  good  authority,  by  many  years  of  indefatigable  application, 
has  succeeded  in  writing  the  characters  with  great  neatness  and  accuracy; 
and  is  well  qualified  in  other  respects  for  the  midertaking,  in  which,  it 
is  to  be  hoped,  he  may  meet  with  suitable  encouragement. 


TRAVELS  IN  CHIKA.  419 

chants,  through  a  broken  jargon,  somc^vhat  resembling  tlie 
languages  of  the  several  foreigners,  it  might  fairly  be  ques- 
tioned, without  any  disparagement  to  tlie  merchants  of  Lon- 
don, if  those  foreigners  would  have  less  reason  of  complaint 
than  the  Europemis  have  who  now  ti-ade  to  China  ?  Even  as 
things  are,  would  a  Chinese  arriving  in  England  find  no  subject 
of  complaint,  no  grievances  nor  vexations  at  the  custom-house, 
which,  for  Avant  of  Jcnowing  our  language,  he  might  be  apt 
to  consider  as  extortions  and  impositions?  Two  years  ago  two 
Chinese  missionaries  landed  in  England,  in  their  way  to  the 
college  De  Propaganda  Fide  at  Naples.  Each  had  a  small  bundle 
of  cloaths  under  his  arms,  and,  according  to  the  custom  of 
their  country,  a  fan  in  his  hand.  Being  observed  by  one  of 
those  voracious  sharks,  who,  under  the  pretext  of  preventing 
frauds  on  the  re\enue,  plunder  unprotected  foreigners,  and 
convert  the  boot}^  to  their  oA\"n  advantage,  the  poor  fcUoAVS 
were  stripped  by  him  of  the  little  property  they  carried  in  their 
hands,  and  w  ere  not,  without  difficulty,  allo^\"ed  to  esca])e  \\ith 
their  cloaths  on  dicir  backs.  Can  we  blame  these  people  for 
representing  us  as  a  barbarous,  unfeeling,  and  inhospitable 
nation,  ho^\■ever  undeserving  we  may  be  of  such  a  cha- 
racter ? 

Our  case  at  Canton  is  pretty  nearly  the  same  as  that  of  the 
two  Chinese  missionaries.  Eveiy  petty  officer  of  tlie  govern- 
ment kno^\s  he  can  practise  impositions  on  our  trade  with  im- 
punity, because  we  have  not  the  means  of  bringing  his  villainy 
to  the  kno^^■ledge  of  his  superiors.  For,  how  gi'cat  soever 
may  be  the  propensity  of  the  Chinese  people  to  fraud  and 
extortion,  I  have  little  doubt  of  the  justice  and  moderation 
of  the  Chinese  gOAernment,  when  the  case  is  properl}'  repre- 
sented. A  recent  circumstance  may  be  mentioned  in  support 
of  this  opinion.  In  the  year  1801,  a  sailor  on  board  his 
majesty's  ship  the  Madrass  fired  upon,  and  mortally  wounded, 
a  Chinese  who  was  passing  in  a  boat.  A  discussion  as  usual, 
took  place  with  the  Chinese  government ;  but  it  ^^•as  conduct- 
ed in  a  \'ery  different  manner  from  \\hat  had  hitherto  been 
usual  on  similar  occasions.  Instead  of  entering  into  any  ex- 
planation or  defence  through  the  medium  of  the  Hong  mer- 
chants, Avho  tremble  at  the  lo^^•est  officer  of  go\'ernment,  a 
memorial  w^as  addressed  to  the  viceroy,  drawn  up  in  a  proper 
and  becoming  manner  by  the  present  Sir  George  Staunton, 


420  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

the  only  Englishman  in  the  company's  service  who  was  skilled 
in  the  Chinese  language.  Several  conversations  were  also  held 
on  the  subject  with  the  officers  of  justice,  from  which  the 
Hong  merchants  were  excluded.  Captain  Dilkes  setting  up  a 
plea  of  recrimination,  on  the  ground  of  some  Chinese  having 
cut  his  cable  with  an  intent  to  steal  it,  the  government  assented 
to  ha\'e  tlie  matter  tried  in  the  supreme  court  of  justice  in  the 
^^ty  of  Canton.  By  the  law  of  China,  if  the  wounded  person 
survi\'e  forty  days,  the  sentence  of  death  is  commuted  for  that 
of  banishment  into  the  wilds  of  Tartary ;  }et,  so  favourably  did 
the  court  incline  to  the  side  of  the  accused  in  this  instance, 
that,  although  the  time  A\as  not  expired,  and  there  was  little 
hope  of  the  wounded  man  recovering,  they  allowed  captain 
Dilkes  to  take  the  seaman  into  his  om'u  custody,  requiring  only 
that  he  should  leave  in  court  a  v.ritten  promise  to  produce  him 
in  case  the  wounded  should  not  survive  the  time  prescribed 
by  laAv.  The  man  lingered  near  fifty  days,  and  then  died ;  upon 
which  a  message  was  sent  by  the  court,  intimating  to  the  cap- 
tain that  the  court  saw  no  impropriety  in  this  instance,  in  leav- 
ing it  to  him  to  punish  the  delinquent  according  to  the  la^vs  of 
his  own  country;  thus,  for  the  first  time,  assenting  to  set  aside  a 
positive  law  in  favour  of  foreigners.  By  this  proper  mode  of 
interference  an  English  subject  was  saved  from  an  unjust  and 
ignominious  death,  which  would  otherwise  inevitably  havehap^ 
pened,  as  on  all  former  occasions  of  a  similar  kind,  had  the 
affair  been  left  in  the  hands  of  men  whose  interest  it  is  to  repre- 
sent us  as  barbarians,  and  who,  hoA\ever  well  they  might  be 
disposed,  ha\^e  not  the  courage  to  plead  our  cause.  Hitherto 
the  Chinese  ha^'e  invariably  made  a  point  of  executing  immedi- 
ately and  ^^ithout  a  regular  trial,  any  foreigner  ^Yho  should 
kill  a  Chinese,  or  some  substitute  in  the  place  of  the  actual  cri- 
minal, as  I  have  already  instanced  in  the  seventh  chapter.  One 
of  tlie  most  intelligent  of  the  East  India  company's  servants  at 
Canton,  speaking  on  this  subject,  in  answer  to  certain  queries 
proposed  to  him  about  the  time  of  the  embassy,  remarks,  "  I 
*'  cannot  help  observing  that  the  situation  of  the  company's 
"  servants,  and  the  trade  in  general,  is,  in  this  respect,  very 
"  dangerous  and  disgraceful.  It  is  such,  that  it  will  be  impos- 
*'  sible  for  them  to  extricate  themselves  from  the  cruel  dilemma 
"  a  very  probable  accident  may  place  them  in,  I  will  not  say 
"  with  honour,  but  not  without  infamy,  or  exposing  the  whole 


TRAVELS  IN  CHINA.  421 

*'  trade  to  ruin."  Yet  we  have  just  now  seen,  on  the  recur- 
rence of  such  an  accident,  that,  b}^  the  circumstance  of  a  direct 
and  immediate  communication  with  the  government,  the  afikir 
was  terminated,  not  only  \\  idiout  disgrace  or  infamy,  but  in 
a  ^\  ay  that  was  honourable  to  both  ptuties. 


CONCLUSION. 


I  HAVE  now  gone  over  most  of  the  points  relative  to 
which  I  have  been  able  to  recollect  tlie  remarks  and  observa- 
tions that  arose  in  my  mind  during  my  attendance  on  this 
memorable  embass}^  The  compaiisons  I  have  made  were 
given  with  a  view  of  assisting  the  reader  to  form,  in  his  own 
mind,  some  idea  of  what  rank  the  Chinese  may  be  considered 
to  hold,  when  measured  by  the  scale  of  European  nations ;  but 
this  pait  is  ver}'^  defecti\e.  To  have  made  it  complete  w ould 
require  more  time  and  more  reading  than  at  present  I  coidd 
command.  The  consideration  of  other  objects,  those  of  a  po- 
litical nature,  which  are  of  the  most  serious  importance  to  our 
interests  in  China,  is  more  particulai"ly  the  ])rovince  of  those  in 
a  different  sphere,  and  \\  ould,  therefore,  be  improper  for  me 
to  anticipate  or  prejudge,  by  any  conjectures  of  my  own.  It 
belongs  to  other  persons,  and  perhaps  to  other  times ;  *  but  it 
is  to  be  hoped  that  the  information,  reflections,  and  opinions  of 
the  embassador  himself,  may  one  day  be  full}-  communicated 
to  the  public,  ^^■hen  tlie  present  objections  to  it  shall  cease,  and 
the  moment  arrive  (which  is  probably  not  very  distant)  that 
A\ill  enable  us  to  act  upon  the  ideas  of  that  nobleman's  capa- 
cious and  enlightened  mind,  and  to  pro\e  to  the  Avorld  that 
the  late  embassy,  by  she\\ing the  chai-acter  and  dignity  of  the 

*  This  was  written  at  the  close  of  the  year  1 803. 


422  TRAVELS  IN  CHINA. 

British  nation  in  a  new  and  splendid  light,  to  a  court  and 
people  in  a  great  measure  ignorant  of  them  before,  however 
misrepresented  by  the  jealousy  and  envy  of  rivals,  or  impeded 
by  the  counteraction  of  enemies,  has  laid  an  excellent  founda- 
tion for  gi-eat  future  advantages,  and  done  honour  to  the  wis- 
dom and  foresight  of  the  statesman*  who  planned  the  measure 
and  directed  its  execution. 

*  The  Lord  Viscount  Melville. 


FINIS. 


PRINTED    BY    W.    F.    MCLAUGHLIN, 

NO.  28,  N.  Second-Street. 


\  A 


^:?^ 


